Lark of the Thunder Angels
by Lavenderpaw
Summary: As a twenty-one-year-old Hiccup faces the challenges that come with preparing to be Village Chief; especially the laziness that too much leisure time causes; a force starts to summon his best friend. Hiccup doesn't know what it means, but he'll still go.
1. The Lightening Torrents

The Black Swan Theory - _Nassim Nicholas Taleb._

1. It is a surprise. - _The discovery that dragons are good is made after seven generations._

2. It has a major impact. - _Dragons and humans band together and eventually co-exist._

3. People contend that they expected the event to take place (in hindsight).

- _People grow overconfident about what dragons are capable of ::: __**again.**_

_And possibly to the point of their eminent demise._

**I. **The Lightening Torrents…

Mountains rose like spires around a quiet, seemingly empty island. The stone floors were cold and bare of any growth or vegetation. Open pits of black liquid unsafe to drink lined the ground in an irregular circle while wind swept fragments of dirt and furling pieces of dead scales around. At the edge of one of these particular projectiles was a black creature.

She pulled herself from the shadows of a higher rocky rise and slithered over on her belly towards a thick, off-white egg that she hadn't remembered seeing the other day. With her prominent front body and long, cactus-shaped legs, the young female dragon easily stood as a hulking presence over the ovate object. She lowered her small nostrils to it's side and inhaled deeply to take in it's scent. Her jade eyes dilated and she released a big, loud purr.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

With one crooked talon, the dragon reached over to touch the motionless egg when all of a sudden it gave a little jolt. This made her reel back as her un-hatched offspring began to wheel its way around sporadically. The egg moved in dizzying patterns that she saw were familiar formations of her own kind. She followed it with intent awe as it began pulsating a rich blue color and kept propelling itself around her like it was trying to escape; but the nearness that it moved towards the rock spire's edge made her gasp and whip her tail out.

The dragon made a whining noise and felt tension peak in her brawny chest as the rolling egg hit her svelte appendage like a speed freak. Yet although the speed of her little roller did not decrease, it made a safe turnabout and began scaling up her protrusion - free back.

She let out a relieved murmur and shifted the feather-light weight of the egg by shrugging her shoulders one at a time. As it rolled harmlessly to the rocked floor, the odd blue glow residing within it began resonating with a firm, deliberate rhythm. _Beat… Beat… B-e-a-t! _This caused the would - be mother to back away. With a few more piercing throbs of life beating forcefully inside it, a pair of azure eyes snapped open. The dragon hovered closeby as the egg started to rock and shake with more ferocity until big cracks formed around it's surface.

She released a worried whine.

"Ah!" the sound came in a loud, complaining squawk from the egg..

With the blue light misting against the inside like the release of an animal's wintry breath, a small black foot suddenly kicked up near the top. This caused the dragon to move away once more in shock - she hadn't been more then a hatchling when she had seen this happening...

The side of the upturned egg was given another forceful kick and a second foot poked it's way out. A low, grunting coo admitted from the shelled creature as it relaxed and allowed it's outer wall to fall carelessly to the ground. The mother-to-be started to near it; curious.

"Uh?" She questioned gently.

"UUUhhh!" the child hollered as a great mass of blue built at the top of the egg's insides and caused it to turn upright. With deep, throat-contained radiance, the baby dragon was able to release a burst of bright blue energy up at the egg's top and send it spinning overhead.

This caused the mother dragon to gasp happily.

Before she could see her baby, however, the top came right back down and landed on the child's head. Giving a more assured murmur, she stepped over to the infant dragon and let her paw instinctively push up on the yolk-drenched top to catch a first glimpse. The eyes of the dragon were sealed shut as it's tiny slit nostrils opened and closed quickly to take it's first few breaths. She waited patiently as the youngster's breathing evened out just right. When this happened, she carefully lowered her claw point and picked at it's glued eyelids.

"Mm!"

"Mm." The dragon mimicked and then gave a rumbling chuckle.

"Mm…" it squeaked precociously this time as a pair of green eyes popped open.

She tried to move the child towards her but it ducked under her touch. Surprised and a tad alarmed, the dragon tried again to reach out this time with her other paw. It deftly avoided her again and this time developed a crisscrossing pattern to it's steps so as to sidestep her every time she would make a movement over to it. Frustrated, the dragon kept attempting to get to her child until she was finally forced to try pouncing on it - proving to be a futile mistake. The dragon hung her head in defeat and started away when she heard squawking.

"Ah!"

He looked at her with wide, jade eyes as she turned to face him.

"Ah?" her baby squawked unsurely.

"Ah." She smiled a large, gummed smile from ear flap to ear flap.

The infant dragon smiled back and a single, front tooth popped down from his upper jaw. This made him squeal in delight and he hurried over to join his mother. She, on the other hand, shouldered around so that her back was to him. He blinked in confusion and tried to wobble over to the front of his mother. Again, she turned away and slipped a smug-faced look down at him. His slit nostrils flickered in a flare and he started to growl in agitation.

A pressure of blue energy started to build in his throat, causing his mother to abandon her charade and scoop him up in her arms. He sniffed a few times, shook his round little head and then hiccupped. His mother pulled her own head back in surprise and then brought it forward again only to be startled back by the infant dragon's abrupt second hiccup which caused him to bounce out of her hold. She gasped but then stared with amazement as her son hiccupped frequently enough to keep him from falling. "_Hic. Hic. Hic_." He spouted.

Plumes of blue popped out of his mouth until finally he ran out.

"Mm?" His mother asked as he landed back in her paws.

"Mm!" He said happily and flashed a smile - his teeth switched out automatically.

She smiled back - hers switching out as well.

They looked at one another lovingly and started to nuzzle. The mother dragon sat her son on her tail and lifted one of her enormous wings to look at. He watched as she fanned out the big leathery appendage, her face appeared as a light shadow across it. Where it paused was where a small rip in the wing started. She gently raised him up to where her big green eye could peer through at him. The little dragon grinned and ducked his head as she let an upper tooth slide through the hole. His fascination showed as she stripped a piece of dead grass from between a crevice in the ground and wound it around the tooth right over him.

"Ah." He said in wonder as she sewed the rip closed with her long incisor.

She smiled as she lifted her wing down and watched as he discovered his own wings.

"Huh…?" He vocalized.

"Mm." His mother encouraged. With him still near the top of her tail and her latest work done to one of many rips along her wings, she trotted casually back over to the cliff side.

Her son glanced up at her curiously as she slipped him up in her wings and gently placed him on the ground beside her. Nervousness entered his wide eyes and he peered over the edge slowly. The adult dragon gave a warning noise and scooted him back away from it.

She then reprimanded him before showing him the different angles his wings and vanes had to been in. The vanes under his wings were like gear shifts that controlled his speed, the rudders on the back of his tail helped to control which direction he would take while his wings - she emphasized - should always be ready when the winds became too heavy. He gave her questioning look at that and experienced a harmless whack of her large tail…

That sent him right off the very cliff she had just told him not to go near.

The mother dragon crouched down onto the stoned floor until her soft underbelly touched it, arched her slendor back and snapped open her green eyes with a start. With a grand explosion of wings, she reared herself upward and dive bombed off of the cliff. The dragon child wailed in panic and reached for her as she steered directly towards him. As the two both aligned, she began to twirl slowly around him until he followed her very movement.

His eyes became enraptured on his mother's winged waltz, not even minding as her paws curled around him or as the thrust of wind jerked against her back. They were catapulted up into the air like a launched missile, gaining speed with each altitude the adult dragon reached. Her baby curled into her steel-tough chest and listened as her heart pounded at irregular beats. He began to whine as they were swallowed into a large swath of clouds.

"Mm!"

She held on tightly to him as she ducked her head, curled it down and then stretched her long black neck out. The infant dragon glimpsed up at his mother only to see a thin piece of black flesh - thinner and more transparent then her wings - slide over her piercing light green eye. His breath caught in his throat as a lavender glow emitted to life behind it and made her eye roll forward to concentrate solely on their ascent; he squawked out for her.

He whined for her and cried for her.

But she only continued to rise into the thickening clouds that began to turn an eerie gray.

"Mm…" She purred thoughtfully.

The dragon soared to a stop as her baby cuddled into her chest. All was still and calm for a moment as the two spun slowly in the air. The young mother kept her luminous gaze on the mists of gray and white above. She breathed in slow, halting breaths as she gradually picked up speed in her spinning. Going around and around, the sky began darkening to an ominous overcast. In perfect dips and turns the dragoness performed a fantastic, though increasingly fast set of aerobatics. She rose her baby above her head to let him take in the sheer thrill of the motion; and he in turn fought to enjoy this first experience. Now, even as the wind stewed the black clouds into a brooding brew and thunder pounded overhead.

Even as he could feel his mother's pulse racing in the paws that held him and even as he could feel his own eyes slipping over with the fleshy, see-through flap, the black dragon baby was happy. He threw up his tiny paws to the sky and allowed the elements to come to him as well. At this point the dragon was moving as fast as an erratic weathervane that was signaling the approach of a storm. Suddenly, though, she started to slow her twirling.

"Mm?" The child asked her.

When his mother looked down at him, their were tears moistening her refocused eyes. The two moved in a gentle motion as thunder tried to rock the tranquility of their private time. She smiled slightly as he tried pressing closer to her at the explosive sound. Releasing an almost resigned sigh, the dragon pried him from her chest and moved him up to where he could experience another clap of thunder. He squealed in fear and dove right back for her.

Outside figures with soft, orange bodies and muted white eyes watched them like lost souls in search of contact. The baby dragon tried to hide his face from them, but his mother gently coaxed her son towards one in particular. He rose a timid paw out as the form of a dragon appeared inside of the clouds. As the misty limb of the figure extended out to him, all the other forms seemed to congregate closer in a group. His green eyes stayed transfixed now with the figure's, but right before they made contact his mother's paw overlapped his. At this gesture the dragon figures of dim orange made low, threatening growls at her quick actions.

She met the eyes on the one in front of her and her son and whined a plea.

The figure blinked and accepted her paw instead.

Her baby squawked and protested loudly as she melded into the clouds surrounding them.

Even as he tried reaching for her now, his mother's now once again lit lilac eyes remained focused ahead of him. The dragon wailed louder then he ever had as an aura of light went to engulf him and he was shot unwillingly down like a blazing meteor through the torrents.

When he opened his eyes again - after the sparks of light purple had sizzled down and had all but sizzled out - he found that he was completely by himself. The baby dragon raised his inquiring eyes to the sky as thunder clashed and forced him to cover his tiny body just as a heavy rain began pouring down upon him. He trembled and tried clutching at himself to keep warm as the drenching onset changed into raging flood waters... and caused him to hiccup.

"_Hic. Hic. Hic."_

As another clap of loud, bombarding thunder made the shaking dragon curl up into a ball, he heard a sort of zip in the air and the smell that met his slit nostrils was enticing enough to him to cause him to raise his head in awe. Another zip came and a sudden, unnerving bolt of blue light caused him to toss a blue source of power of his own from his open gummed jaws.

And has this happened, the background behind the baby dragon that had been shrouded in darkness suddenly lit up at the flash of lightening. It reached the deepest crevices and let a great light reach the deadened gray rocks - lighting up piles of skeletons and empty shells.

…

To be continued.

LP


	2. A boy named Asterisk

****

I.

A cold, feverish shudder speared through Toothless's chest and caused him to awake in a gasp of breath. He shuddered again and looked over his big left shoulder to view with his nocturnal vision that it was the dead of night. Bittersweet memories swirled at the top of his head before receding uncomfortably to the back of his mind, filling him with sadness.

"Hey, bud," Hiccup spoke from where he did his arm curls, "Have a bad dream?"

The Night Fury sniffed as he shook his head haughtily.

"Well, all right then. Have an attitude." He rebuked in his deep but still nasally voice.

"Keep goin' Hiccup, ya 've almost broken yer own record." Gobber announced. The old man reclined back in his bamboo and tarp-made chair, tearing off a meaty chunk from his leg bone. He raised a brow at the dragon's glare. "As if you haven't put on some weight."

Toothless lessened his glower.

"There's not much use for blacksmith anymore," Hiccup mentioned.

"Well, after sixty-two years, don't'cha think I deserve a little break?"

The dragon flared his nostrils at him reproachfully.

"Hey," Gobber directed his meal at him, "Say that when you're near in' seventy."

"How do you know he isn't already," Hiccup smiled at him slyly, directing his look over to an equally sly Toothless who lowered him down from standing on his tail. The young man removed his curling bar and snapped it back onto the nub of his knee, he then took both metal bars he'd been using, yanked them from the earth and used them as crutches.

"Eh," the older man waved dismissively, "I don't contribute his growth to age anyway."

Hiccup grinned broadly - something he used to never do before Toothless - and turned to watch as his best friend rose to his full, quadruped height of twenty feet tall. In two years time a part from the six years they had shared together, the young Night Fury had in some way accumulated thirteen feet; though the hang of his huge gut left nothing to be desired.

He snorted a bit and inched away as the young man jabbed at it with one of his crutches.

"Still flies like the champ he is."

"So the kids of Berk today have more interest in Hiccup's technology and all those high - kick and karate shenanigans Astrid teaches," Gobber continued to argue hotly, trying his best to tighten the boar skin belt around his gut, "It just leaves us older types workless."

Hiccup noted his old master's disheartenment.

"You've taught me more then anyone has," He worked his way over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder - Hiccup being five-foot-seven-now - and said, "And when I always needed it, you kind of, sort of believed in me - so I believed in me. Thanks a lot Gobber."

The Viking eyed him skeptically.

"Uh," He grinned nervously, "Not in the sarcastic way, in the sincere 'thanks a lot' way."

Toothless smirked out of the corner of his mouth.

"Eh," Gobber waved at him like before, "Yer just tryin' to help… so, uh, thanks Hiccup."

"Did it work?" He recovered.

"No, not really." the man answered dryly. His eyes raised to the starless sky.

"Something the matter?" Hiccup inquired with slight interest as he boarded Toothless.

"Eh, looks like we might be gett in' some Thunder Angels out this way."

The sound of said creature started rumbling in the apparent clouds above.

"Which would be?" He locked his foot into place and crankshafted out a blank white tail piece. The two watched as Gobber hobbled forward, showing more interest then before.

"Gobber?" the young man undid his prosthetic and slid down off of Toothless's side.

"Oh, uh! Ha-ha. Never mind. It's just an old expression that means bad weather's here."

Hiccup and Toothless exchanged suspicious looks.

"Sir, there's always bad weather here."

"Yeah, heh, but this might be coming up as far away as from the Lightening Torrents…"

His former apprentice raised a brown eyebrow.

"…Or?" He picked up where Gobber had trailed off.

The man's eyes grew a bit distant before reverting back to reality. "Nothin' boys." with a last dismissive wave at the cloaked clouds, he started back for Berk. "Les three get back."

Before Hiccup could motion to get Toothless forward, he noticed that the black dragon's full attention was directed back westward. His green eyes followed him in the direction of the invisible storm that rose nearer in it's crackling. With a calm moving over them, he placed his hand to the dragon's side and hobbled up next to him on a single crutch so that he could watch and wait also. Toothless lowered a half-closed jade eye down at him, the light emerald orb gleamed in the limited light that only adjusted night vision could offer.

Hiccup breathed deeply and stroked him down along his somewhat bloated stomach.

'I've really let him let himself go,' he thought guiltily. But watching the Night Fury raise his ear flaps to the sky made him wonder what he was thinking. Sometimes, Hiccup now recalled as he sat down, Toothless would just take off by himself to the outskirts of Berk.

The dragon laid down onto the ground with Hiccup's hand still resting on his side. He ran it down his friend's cool scales once and turned to lay his back against him. The two now rested in their peaceful silence, breathing together in an unhurried pace and thinking as a separate yet connected unit of diversified harmony. That's when the anniversary came to Hiccup's mind. He sat up and furrowed his brow at the fact that he had forgotten about it.

Toothless gave him a mystified look when he met his eye.

"Tomorrow will be the day that…" his voice shook a little. "the day my mother died."

The Night Fury closed his eyes for a moment before nudging Hiccup from underneath his legs until he had to climb downwards to get to the saddle. The young rider flashed him a warning smile to which Toothless sniffed shamelessly. Noticing that his best friend was a bit crestfallen still, Toothless bucked forward to garner his attention back and had it serve its purpose of causing Hiccup to laugh in embarrassment - his face flushed a pink shade- :

"Thanks a lot," He propped an elbow up on the saddle horn, "you overweight lizard."

Toothless flared his medium-sized slit nostrils and bucked Hiccup backwards this time.

"I'm sorry!"

The dragon smirked.

**II**. Daytime, Berk…

Astrid watched from the arena walls as Hiccup led his young team through a practice trial of Hoop-Ball. The concept was easy, yet potentially thrilling and ego smashing. As with most sports, there were two teams of five players. A sixty-foot pole with a very tiny ring was set up on both sides and the defense and offense of each team worked together to get a buck skin ball through them; And as with any and all teams they had their own cheering squad-:

"Get that ball through the hoop, Asterisk!" Astrid bellowed out at her cousin. "And don't think you _CAN _do it because you _WILL _do it!" she added in a brash holler, "Do it, do it!"

"They don't believe I can do it!" he called up at Hiccup from the roar of the air.

"Then believe in yourself," the man coached to him, his hair flying in his face. "Throw!"

"I can't even ride a dragon without getting scared," the boy turned his brown eyes away.

"Asterisk!" Hiccup yelped.

They weren't ten feet from the hoop when Toothless arched his long black neck over him and swallowing the ball, he managed to send it back with a zap of blue fire power. All of the people watched with wide eyes as it flew like a shooting star in sunlight into the open little hoop. The tip was barbequed and looked like the end of a giant match after going in.

"Ha - YEAH!" Hiccup laughed in triumph, pumping his fist down hard.

His students clapped as he reached down and gave Toothless a few sturdy pats.

"Nice one, bud."

The dragon smiled and snorted out a plume of blue smoke.

"You'll work off your weight yet," he added down in his ear, grinning.

Toothless narrowed his eyes and showed the tips of his teeth.

The man laughed again and rubbed him behind his ear heartily.

When Hiccup looked over his shoulder, however, he saw that Asterisk was peering away.

…

"Where've you been Gobber!.?" Stoick questioned his friend as the man finally made it to the top of the cobble stairs - clearly out of breath - and put an 'I'm all right' hand upward.

"Just…" He panted heavily, "Savin' meh breath."

"Good," Stoick enunciated. "_Save _your breath then. The Village Elder is in the works to make the announcement of who will be taking her place and who will become my succ-."

He stopped himself and released a deep breath. "A' course, we all know who it will be."

"Did it ever come as a surprise to ye, Stoick?" Gobber laughed. "Well, six years ago…"

"Yes, it would have." The bearded man strode to the catwalk's edge. "But not now."

Grey clouds lingered around the fringes of the sky but this wasn't what concerned him.

"Then what's the problem?" Gobber slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I-," Thunder suddenly boomed off in the distance as the clouds encroached further.

"Yes?" the retired blacksmith prompted, eyeing the storm unsettlingly.

"I just didn't think it would happen so fast." Stoick admitted. "Or on today of all days."

"Well," Gobber sighed and turned to place his back to the rails, "If ye want my advice…"

The Village Chief eyed him flatly. "As you always seem willing to give," he muttered.

"Right, well, if ye _want_ my advice…" He grinned and gestured down, "Just look at him."

They both turned to see Hiccup trailing after a disappointed Asterisk down a dirt path.

…

"You kept your eye on the ball!"

"When I wasn't watching to make sure the other team didn't knock me off…"

"Well, you, uh… didn't score for the other team!"

"I didn't even score for my own." Astrid's cousin griped, dragging his staff behind him.

"So you didn't make the play-offs," Hiccup kept following along behind the little boy on his crutches, they both were alone as Asterisk was heading down to an empty sparring area.

"Let's just face it, Hiccup," the eight-year-old sighed lightly, "I'm the youngest and most scrawniest kid in the village." he said as he balanced a ball on the staff. "I'll always be."

Hiccup frowned hard at that and made his way over swiftly to catch Asterisk's long stick bat. _"Hey," _he said firmly, holding it in place by his lean, thin arm, "I never would have gotten anywhere with that kind of an outlook, Asterisk. I'd just be right where I was at."

At his charge's confused look Hiccup released his hold.

"Where was that?" The boy asked as he expertly batted the ball up by his staff. His legs started twisting back and he started tripping on his own feet. "Whoa - whOA! Whoa-_wa_!"

"Tripping," the man caught him by the middle of his back, smiling knowingly, "A lot."

"I'm just not good at any of the technical or team stuff," Asterisk said as he flung himself up onto his feet and kicked his staff up into his hands, twirling it around, "or…" he grew timid as the two-story-tall Toothless glided over towards them, "Dragons. Even dragons."

"You might still have the dragons-are-enemies vibe," Hiccup shrugged. "It's genetics."

A real sadness entered the boy's eyes at the bond before him. Toothless lowered his ears back and tried approaching him but this only caused Asterisk to raise his staff in defense.

It wasn't because he wanted to fight him off - it was because he was ashamed that there was no dragon around that wasn't someone else's. Asterisk had been born an entire four years younger than his forever busy brother and there simply hadn't been anyone residing in the village who thought it practical for a two-year-old to be on a dragon. And so with the rise of Hiccup's inventions; water wheels, solar power for example - expectation was different then it had been. Where most children wanted to learn, Asterisk wanted to fight.

"Eh - yah!" A loud voice suddenly intervened between the boy and dragon.

"Astrid!" He grinned.

"So," she grinned back as she hammered him fiercely with her own staff. "What was that you were saying, cousin," Asterisk fought harder to hold his own, "about being no good?"

"I'm just not old enough," He spun under her staff and twisted his wrist to catch her next descending attack, "I never said I wasn't good-," they clattered their big sticks, "enough."

"Is that right?"

"Right!"

"Maybe I shouldn't have taught you so well; you're not even a teen yet and you're good."

The boy wrinkled his freckled nose and forced his entire weight into his cousin's stance.

"And you're still a teenager." He peered up at her through determined brown eyes.

"How old?" Hiccup asked uncertainly.

"None of…uh! You're business."

Ever since they had called off an engagement one year earlier, things had been strained.

"Well!" Astrid slipped under Asterisk, caught him under the ankles and flicked her staff up. The boy swung his staff wildly around as she slid hers under his shirt. "Caught'cha cousin."

He was lifted off the ground as she held him up like a trophy on her staff.

"Guess I better keep practicing." he muttered.

"No, you better learn to take some licks, cousin." She knuckled his head and freed him.

Toothless came up from behind and startled him intentionally by tip lapping his cheek.

"Toothless," Hiccup warned the dragon as he innocently popped his tongue back in.

"Come on," the man reached down for Asterisk's hand to which he reluctantly took.

Astrid rolled her cousin's staff around in her hands thoughtfully before tossing it up to him and catching his arm before they took off. "You _will_ fit in, just give it some more time okay."

She and Hiccup exchanged understanding looks before Toothless took air.

**III.**

A tower on the inlands of Berk, evening…

From the insides of the brick-laden, cylindrical piece of architecture perched upon a rough and rocky cliff top, Asterisk became immersed in the pirate decore that covered nearly all space of the inside of the long walls. He turned around slowly to take it all in just before his brown eyes fell to Hiccup's back as the man adjusted his thick leather dragon saddle.

"So... when were you into pirate stuff, Hiccup?"

Silence rang as Hiccup's movements froze.

"Um..." he hesitated, "Maybe I should tell you when you're older."

"What'cha doing?" Asterisk asked instead, coming over to place his arms on the table.

"Well, now I'm trying to take some of this old leather off," Hiccup explained as he used a knife to cut away from the old ripped mahogany leather on the bottom, "And then," he put it around a small stick figure, tied it with some twine and placed it in a bird's nest basket.

"Cool," the boy commented, "But what's it gonna do?"

"This," Hiccup grinned at him before taking out a small piece of carved wood with a black tube running down it. "Now watch... see," he flickered down on a black switch and a little invisible aura rose from inside of it, "It's a flameless fire. You can barely see or smell it..."

"...Neat!" Asterisk declared but then turned confused. "But why? How?"

The man shrugged. "It's what I work on when I have free time, see." he took a piece of off white material, tied it to the empty nest and then with the lighter now attached inside as a sort of engineering component, Hiccup let it go. "There." his hands opened to let it drift off.

"But, hey!" Asterisk reached out to try and grab. "Don't let it get away."

"It's all right." The man cupped his shoulder. "Sometimes it's better just to set things free."

"Like my cousin?" He smiled slyly.

Hiccup glared down sideways at him. "No."

"And the note?"

He sighed at Asterisk's question. "Just something I write on and wonder if anyone will ever find. Sometimes," Hiccup leaned his back against the counter, "I question whether there's anything else out there beyond the sea or island chains; if anything's still wild out there."

This made Asterisk think a minute. "Wouldn't it be cool to find a wild dragon?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Well..."

"And tame it."

His laugh lines faded. "Yeah, it is."

"And imagine if the world wasn't flat like everyone says," Asterisk kept going on even as a look of disapproval slowly crept over Hiccup's face, "What if it was, was round and could-,"

_"Asterisk." _

"And could hold all _kinds _of new creatures and people!" The boy jabbered on. "Cool, huh?"

"Yes," Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck, sighing roughly. "Cool? Yes. Probable? No."

"But you believe a bunch of stuff could happen," Asterisk argued as the man yanked out a shelf from his work desk, dropping a few rolled up scrolls as he did. "Why not believe in..."

"...in what?" Hiccup gestured at him exaggeratedly, "Round worlds? Wild dragons?"

"Yeah." He said weakly.

"Sorry, I'm just... not into talking about things like that right now."

"Okay, then," Asterisk's eyes fell to a particular scroll Hiccup picked up. "What's that?"

"Uh..." He made a quick excuse and held up the brown trim on his jacket. "This?"

"No," the boy walked over, seized the rolled parcel and unrolled it, "This."

A half-finished balloon, notes and a compass symbol on the sides covered the beige paper.

To be continued...

**A/N: **Hmm... this might be the start of a new adventure. More soon!

LP


	3. Promises and compromises Pt 1 of 2

**I. **

"Asterisk!" Hiccup reached out to try and snatch the prototype back from him. "Come on little guy, you really don't have to do this." he said while trying to keep his cool and go in for another round of grabbing sessions. The boy was faster and managed to elude capture.

"Only," He ducked behind Hiccup's work bench and held it just out of reach. "if you say you'll let me and some of the other guys help make this balloon and then go with you…"

Hiccup gave him a confused look. "…Go where?"

Asterisk grinned and re-rolled the parcel to point it up at the sky. "Out there."

The idea briefly brought a spark of wistfulness to the young man's eyes but he shook his head and tried to reach for it again. Impishly, Asterisk rolled on his shoulder from under the table and started to run for the door when he was seized by the collar of his tan shirt.

"All right!" Hiccup said matter-of-factly and held his hand out. "Hand it over."

"But… you're really not gonna do it?"

He sighed quietly and placed Asterisk down before kneeling to his level. "You know you mean a lot to me," Hiccup stroked back the boy's corn-yellow hair, "but it isn't possible."

"Maybe you could find me a dragon egg, than I wouldn't be alone all the time."

This made the man return to his level in surprise. Asterisk crawled up on the work bench and placed his elbows up on the desk table. Hiccup looked out with him and saw that the boy was peering down into the rocky intestines of the cliff. Toothless wandered the shore as waves crashed against it, pressing his face against the strong surf before giving a shake to dry off and staring up longingly at the sky. Hiccup furrowed his brow, suddenly turned on by the Night Fury's apparently growing sense of covertness for something that he was obviously missing out on. Could it be, perhaps, a place he had gone to in the early days?

Could it be a place - Hiccup blew out air through his lips - a place he could not visit?

"See," Asterisk spoke as he craned his neck sideways and looked up at him, "I see it too."

The man pressed his lips together tightly.

As if honing on to the fact that he was being watched, the Night Fury turned to look up at Hiccup as well just as the skies continued growing a darker gray and low thunder booms were rolling off in the distance. His blue eyes grew a kind of storm cloud color as well, not the clear, blue sky day that seemed to hold a world of possibilities. Toothless flattened his ear flaps down and gave a soulful, imploring moan before turning to continue on by himself down the ridged sea line. Hiccup felt guilty as the dragon's gut dragged along the ground.

Asterisk half-smiled at him and handed the parcel back. "So you see? I was right."

He sighed and rubbed the boy's head in admittance.

"Yep… guess this means you'll have to let me come and help you."

Hiccup bopped him upside the head with the paper.

Asterisk rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "Promise you'll think about it?"

"Yes. I promise I'll think about it." the man said from behind closed eyes.

**II. **Early morning near the docks of Berk…

Stoick mounted the stairs to the Elder's shack three at a time. On a good day, he would have would have gone five but his mood simply wasn't elevated enough to go very fast.

The Viking peered out at the tide pools below that surrounded the legs of the docks. He felt a smile part his bearded mouth as he recalled himself and a very young Hiccup down beside them on the rare days that the dragons hadn't been invading; and normally these were in between the violent raging of rains; when the boy would ask about storm swans.

Right now the gray birds were out with their half-grown goslings fighting over the same fish, but before when they were younger his son had use to inquire if swans came in any different colors. "_How about black swans?" _Hiccup's voice spoke in his head. _"or tan swans?"_

"_Now, Hiccup." _His own husky voice laughed. "_We know that they exist - er, the black swans that is. But jest cause we know this fo' fact don't mean we need ta go look for'em. 'Stand me?"_

And then in typical Hiccup fashion: _"But Dad, we won't know for sure unless we look."_

What followed was Stoick's typical answer. _"Son, don't question me. They're out there."_

"_But if we never actually set sail and go see-,"_

"_Hiccup, enough! You're talkin' like white swans exist. We don't need to see to know."_

Presently Stoick released a deep breath as arguing surfaced from the little boarded shack.

"I know, Elder, but if ya'd let me expand more into the under ground, then the kids-,"

"You expand into the ground anymore, Gobber, and we'll be livin' like mole people!"

The old man took a seething, shaky breath. "But what else do us older folk have ta do!.?"

"Make sure children like Pathra's son and his kind don't take down the village, now leave!"

The heavy wooden door flew open and out walked a disgruntled Gobber.

"I take it that didn't go well?" Stoick raised a shaggy red brow.

His old chum sent him a look. "Ya might just want ta suck in ye gut for this one, friend."

Before he pushed the door open, the Chief briefly heeded Gobber's words by tightening the rope belt around his mid-section and proceeded in to face the small wizened woman who sat with a sharp-eyed gaze behind a table no more then half a foot tall. She gestured.

"Sent down, my son."

The man removed his hat and latched the horn of it to his pouch sides.

"Mother." He tried not to break the tiny wooden chair as he fingered it aside.

"How have you been, Stoick?" she asked pleasantly.

"Truthfully…" a small grin appeared on his face. "Nervous. I haven't the foggiest idea-."

"Of?" His mother cut him off, pouring herself and him a small thing of tea.

"…of," Stoick fingered the ridiculously small piece of china. "How I'll be a good Elder."

The woman raised a thin gray eyebrow. "Very speculative son." she scooped in her sugar.

"I know Hiccup will make a Hades of a Chief with help, but I'm not sure I can retire with my own pride in tact Mother." he told her in series of rambles to which she nodded slowly and musingly. "I have been Village Chief eva since my father passed away. And-," Stoick gave his now sweat-laced face a rub with his glove, "It's what got me through after Astral died."

"Stoick." His mother interrupted suddenly, eyes cast down.

"Mother?" He answered, taken aback.

"How do you know that it is _you,_" her eyes flashed up, "whom I will be choosing for the unpresuming and faith-inclined role of Village Elder? I am sorry, my boy, as brave and as caring as you are your anxious and adamant nature makes you unfit for my current role."

Stoick didn't move.

"I'd like you to keep an eye on your son." She continued solemnly.

…

From behind the wooden door, Hiccup peered inside with inquiring eyes.

"My son? We we're preparing to start his initiation."

"Not for another week or so, Stoick." the young man pulled back, incredulous as his own grandmother's voice said these next words. "I'm not sure if I can trust him to stay around and not become involved with all of this hullabaloo going on " He leaned in again to listen.

"What do you mean?" His father's heavily accented voice asked.

"The legend, Stoick. Signs are shown every fifty years and only myself and one other has been around long enough to witness it." Hiccup was careful to be quiet. "You know of it…"

He heard the Chief sigh roughly: "...I'm tell in' ya Mother, I don' put any stock into it."

"It is true, my son. And my greatest fear is that Hiccup will end up becoming involved."

"He _won't_." Stoick ascertained. "Hiccup has done nothing short of deserving my title."

"Well," the Elder's voice took on a higher pitch, "Eavesdropping…"

"Yah!" Hiccup stumbled back and nearly went off the dock's railing.

"… Is not promising." She concluded.

"Hiccup?.!" His father thundered.

The boy-turned man grimaced and whirled on his feet to head down the stairs.

"Can't believe-," he said between clenched teeth as the door flew open. "she heard me!"

Toothless had left from waiting for Hiccup to return so that the two could go down with the others and play fish-racing - ropes, metal rings, six pails of fish and checkpoints - and to the man's disbelief was nowhere to be found. He just neared the last few landing spots when a huge bulk of fatherhood dropped down in front of him; Hiccup reeled back, rendered dumb.

"Dad," he grinned stupidly, "I was just looking for some white-,"

"Come with me," Stoick caught him around the shoulders with one hand and steered his grown charge down the squeaky stairs then on toward the long stretch of dock which for Hiccup seemed to be waiting for them. As the gray remnants of night faded with the hazy white rays of daybreak, father and son strolled out together to the dock's platform edge.

"You would say…" Stoick rubbed his rusty red beard. "We've grown closer, right?"

Hiccup looked confused.

"More then we've ever been." the man gestured in encouragement.

"I… care about you, Dad. Isn't that enough?"

He smiled at his son and received a smile in return.

"If only it were, Hiccup." Stoick's green eyes turned to their reflections. The young man was more physically fit than he had ever been - due in large part to his dragon and friends - yet his runner's physique could never match his father's broad yet forever powerful width. "My son," Stoick gently clamped Hiccup's forearm, "It's time to grow up now. To _really_ grow up."

"But, I-,"

"No more games, no more races. No more…" he sighed. "Asterisk."

Hiccup rose his eyebrows in shock. "Dad! He's like my little brother."

But Stoick turned unyielding eyes on his son. "I'm serious, Haddock," his Scottish accent became thicker with his words, "You've had your fun as a boy and a teenager, as I have wanted you to. Now it's time to let that dragon of yours know that his place will be under you and it's time you became a leader and he becomes a worker, Hiccup Haddock the 3rd."

The sheer repercussions of his father's words were eminent on Hiccup's face.

"Asterisk is another thing entirely, but _Toothless_ is my best friend." his tone was sharp.

"You knew this day would come, Haddock. And I 'aint sayin' he doesn't mean a lot to you. That beauty of a beast'll probably be here after I'm long gone, but it's time to rise to your calling." Hiccup stepped backwards towards the shore. "You're _real_ calling in life, my son."

"My real calling is staying by my friends' sides." He argued shakily.

"Don't start like this, Hiccup." Stoick continued advancing on him. "Don' make it hard."

"Dad, no. I'm not placing my friends… and-and Asterisk and Toothless under myself!"

"LOOK AT THIS!" His father waved with great sweeps of his arm at the windmills and solar panels clustering the area. "This is _not _what a Village Chief does Haddock." Hiccup felt the presence of the village moving around them. "This is what _villagers _do, not a village _leader_."

"It's what _**I **_do!"

"No, it's what a _child _does!"

Hiccup was now on the solid dirt by the time his father bellowed this.

Against his will, the young man's eyes burned hot.

Stoick looked surprised at this.

"Guess that's why your mother didn't want you to have her job," he muttered angrily.

"What!.?"

"You both have no faith that I've grown into an honorable man."

"Hiccup," His father said in a hurt voice.

With Toothless nowhere to be found, Hiccup hobbled away shamelessly as people who had gathered to watch parted for him to get by. Stoick trailed after him a short distance as he snatched up his crutches lying against the bigger dock's leg beam and hurried off on them sadly. Asterisk was there to meet him as he headed towards his cliff tower in silence. The boy gave him a questioning look when he went by without talking - this was not the time.

"You didn't have to yell at your dad because you're going on the journey."

Hiccup paused, lowered his head a moment and then glanced back at him. "I didn't."

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean… I'm not going. Ever."

To be continued…


	4. Promises and compromises Pt 2 of 2

**I. **

Hiccup started up the long, inclining crawl by himself. Phantom pains he could nowadays normally ignore coursed through the nub of his poled appendage. As the man was passing the last of his stone-bricked construction projects; ones he had designed and contributed to building - a hand shot out from behind the wall and reeled him in like a fish on its line.

"Ah no ya don't!" Astrid glowered down at him, turning Hiccup to face her.

"_Astrid!" _He pulled against her hold.

"And where do you think you're going?" she inquired with one hand curled to her hip.

Hiccup lolled his head to the side in exaggeration and pointed up with a crutch tip to the top of the jagged cliffs he would usually fly up to aboard Toothless. The nineteen - year - old girl smiled at him deviously and brought him closer to her face, gazing into his eyes.

"You made a promise to my cousin," a flame sparked in her own, "and when you make a promise to _him_, you make a promise to _me._" Astrid puckered her forehead and let him go.

"I said I would _think _about it," Hiccup corrected her as he brushed himself off.

"And you haven't?" She folded her arms. "I mean…," she sighed. "didn't it mean more?"

He detected her underlying pain and moved closer to her. "Astrid," Hiccup started to cup her chin but decided against it, "Of course it meant more, but things… they're different."

"Yeah." She muttered, looking away.

"We'll always be friends." He tried persuading her.

"Sure." Astrid's arms remained folded.

Hiccup rolled his lankily brawny shoulders back and held his chin up. "I'm sorry Astrid."

"I'm sorry too," She threw up a resigned arm.

All of a sudden an enormous body of black was on top of Hiccup, pinning him down in a cupping, claw hold so as not to squish him. "Toothless!" he exclaimed. "Down! Get off!"

Looking sideways and then the other way, the Night Fury used his twelve-foot-long wings to gently but securely wrap Hiccup to his chest and used his back wing vanes to bandana his mouth so that he couldn't protest. With Astrid whispering something into his ear flap and then pulling herself aboard with his brown belt, the dragon sent his friend a gummed smile and waddled away from sight to avoid any witnesses. As this went on, Hiccup kept struggling the entire time to get away before finally Astrid gestured at Toothless. He gave a complying nod and released his lower vanes. "Now Hiccup, don't make any loud noi-,"

"HELP! My deranged dragon and psychotic ex-fiancée are kidnapping me!"

The rest of his tirade was lost against the material of Toothless's wing vanes.

"All right," Astrid flung herself down and said to him hastily from a side-saddle position.

"All right, what?" Hiccup whispered huffily when he was again granted a release.

"You made a promise to Asterisk and _by Gods _you're going to keep it!"

"What do you mean? How can I - I, you guys are co-conspiring against me."

"You'll see what we mean." Astrid said confidently as she flung herself back up.

"Astrid!" He complained. "Toothless, buddy," Hiccup desperately pleaded. "I'm sorry, if you heard anything or saw anything, I'm sorry_. _But whatever's going on with you I just-,"

Shadows fell over them and the dragon turned back to look at him with wide green eyes.

"I can't…" his words stuck inside his throat. "help. My father, Toothless." He said.

The dragon moaned softly, sorrowfully.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I really am." Hiccup felt his voice choke in guilt and sadness.

A dark overhead suddenly caught the young man's attention. He looked around, nothing less then confused to see that they were entering one of the mining shafts that had been headed by Gobber to possibly acquire underground rock minerals used for medicine. As they went along through the tunnel, Hiccup saw the long metal tubes and special panels of see-through rock he had come across and then had had others solidify inside that cast out long speckled ribbons of white light. He was enamored by the kaleidoscope lighting.

This is what he referred to as 'under ground solar panels.'

"'This is what a _child_ does.'"

His father's words reverberated off the insides of Hiccup's head. When he looked up he saw that Toothless was studying him again, his eyes taking on a sudden blue undertone.

The man tilted his head in wonder of this when they finally arrived to a large, unearthed area that rose many feet above them. It had been months since Hiccup had seen the work being done because of his leg and his Hoop-Ball captain and architect roles, but it was a sight to behold how much work was being done. The work, however, was not expected…

… Because it wasn't mineral mining. In fact, there was no mining at all.

"What the he-,"

"Hiccup!" A jovial voice greeted him. Toothless placed him on his feet and gave him a nuzzling nudge against the back up to meet Gobber who shook his hand enthusiastically.

"_Gobber__."_He accused through clenched teeth.

"Welcome to team Help-Toothless-prepare-to-journey-off-and-meet-Thunder-Angels."

"Can I talk to you…" Hiccup grabbed at the man's arm tightly. "In _private_?"

As his former master guided him to another area, the young man gazed back.

The Night Fury was watching him with drooping eyes.

"I'm sorry, Toothless," He mouthed.

Raising his foreleg up, Hiccup glimpsed the empty, modified stirrup that needed his help.

The look the man gave him said 'I know that'.

Before Gobber pulled him into a separate room, Toothless closed his eyes, under tucked his wings and leaned his head forward. When his lids shot open, the conflicted face of his rider and partner was reflected four times. Thin ebony irises divided Hiccup into separate segments across each green sclera. He brought his brown brows together and turned away from looking into the dragon's eyes; Hiccup heard Astrid gasp and realized the truth then.

**OoO**

"They're called Thunder Angels."

Gobber looked down at his low-spirited charge.

"What about them?" the young man muttered.

"What about them is…" He leaned into a now alert Hiccup's face, "Without a Night Fury to encounter, they'll throw off the natural order of things my boy. They'll be throwin' out more chaotic weather then you've ever seen, Hiccup. And that's not much to begin with."

"But how? Why? What makes these Thunder Angels so powerful?"

Gobber sighed heavily and massaged his temples, saying, "Legend has it that in order to keep the balance of nature in tact, Thunder hast to have Lightening in order to survive…"

"…So if Thunder Angels are the source of thunder And," Hiccup enthused, "They come before Lightening, then they'll get thrown out of whack without Lightening around. But,"

"Now you're gett in' it." Gobber said solemnly.

"But whose power is based on lightening? What would the Thunder Angels need in order to keep from doing this? What-," He froze in place as his former master nodded the truth.

"It's not just a legend, Hiccup. It's a fact. For centuries Night Furies have done this."

"No." the man shook his head. "No! We didn't know anything about them until me."

"It's all right, son." Gobber patted his shoulder. "You will have to make a journey to the Lightening Torrents - the Night Fury's breeding grounds - and then on to the unexplored Thunder Isles. Since the world is flat, you'll need to go no further then that. It will just-,"

"How," Hiccup cut him off with flat-voiced accusation. "how do you know all of this?"

"Because, Hiccup," the old man kept his gaze, "the pirate ship I was on traveled there."

"And what happened to the Night Furies? I understand Toothless's urges a little more but - but why all the secrecy?" He shook his head. "You know me, Gobber, tell me the truth."

By now his old friend was shadow-veiled and away from the earth-embedded light pole.

"The truth, Hiccup, is that because of me and the other pirates…"

"_No." _He said in shock.

"…Toothless is the last of the Night Furies and only you and he can make this journey."

OoO

It was nighttime before Hiccup re-emerged to the top of Berk. He had told Toothless that they were leaving without even pausing to see what his friends and the older villagers had been working on. The Night Fury silently walked from the wood - shafted entrance with a wordless Hiccup straddling the side of him and holding onto the harness while his pegged foot was attached to the stirrup. They both weren't saying much to each other right at the moment, because words were not needed to communicate. But this was different because not only were they not making noise; they weren't communicating at all which was rare-:

They always communicated with each other. It was second nature for them.

Before they reached the base of the rocky cliff, Hiccup suddenly looked up at the sky that was set ablaze with stars and switched his eyes to the ground in decisiveness. In one swift motion, the young man swung himself around and caught the upper part of the harness. It surprised Toothless so much that the '20 - foot - tall reptile issued out an uncertain growl.

"I said I wasn't going to let them help you," Hiccup told him, showing a willingness as he leaned forward and touched the dragon's snout. "But I will always be here to help you…"

…

Toothless leaned his head into his friend's chest and was embraced by him with a smile.

To be continued…

**A/N**: Yes, some of it is absolute mush now shut up. ;)


	5. Memories gone by

**A/N**: All right, I'll admit… I'm stalling for time. I've got ideas but it's going to take a while to get them all sorted out. So here is a filler/catch up ch. on how things happened.

Enjoy…

**I.**

The day was cloudy as per usual and the surf was rough, but the persistence of a toddler got the better of sixteen-year-old Hiccup. He rode around with Toothless for a while so as to test how strong the currents were and see if he thought they were going to be too much for his young passenger to handle. Glancing down, he saw two spots of bright yellow that were dotted along the jagged shores below. The teenager grinned over slightly at a sharp - eyed looking Toothless: He was not too eager to have a new rider, but appeared intrigued.

"Just this once," Hiccup assured him, reaching up to scratch just below his temple. "And hey, be cool about this," he added to Toothless pointedly, "We're doing this in secret…"

Toothless snorted with some irritation…

Hiccup only rolled his eyes and directed the dragon back down to make a smooth, swoop of a landing before they landed easily beside Astrid and her three-year-old cousin. With a broad smile, Hiccup reached down for the shiny-eyed three-year-old and boosted him up into his arms. Astrid also smiled; a little embarrassedly; as he then bounced Asterisk in a steady motion into the air, making sure the light weight child didn't fall out of his hands.

Toothless flared his slit nostrils a bit and then reached his muzzle up to touch the child's cheek; Asterisk drew back into Hiccup's arms before burying himself into the teenager's chest. The dragon moaned with dejection before nudging him on the small of his back.

"It's okay, little guy," Hiccup smiled at Asterisk comfortingly, "He's our friend. Go on…" He took the boy's small wrist between his long fingers and moved it slowly so that his hand grazed Toothless's nose. The dragon rose his green eyes up directly to see the surprised boy and smiled a gummed smile. At that, Asterisk broke into a smile with third year molars.

Hiccup stowed the boy safely between his legs, snapped the safety harness he had made for Asterisk in his spare time and gave a quick nod to his friend. Toothless whipped his head around to face forward and took off like a light into the sky-creased clouds. Astrid waved at them but dropped her hand when she realized which direction Toothless took.

"Hey, Hiccup! Toothless! Not _that _way! Hey!"

But it was too late, as Hiccup tried to seize control Toothless swung his head deliberately so that the reins flew away from his grasp. The young man sent an annoyed glower at his benedict best friend while fully expecting his girlfriend's cousin to start bawling before the entire village below them. Instead, he heard giggles of laughter starting and looked down to see a happy-faced Asterisk. The child was just fine. Nervously, Hiccup laughed a bit too.

Toothless let out a contented sound.

Stoick, one-hundred feet below them, bellowed out an angry sound.

**OoO**

Seventeen-year-old Hiccup started with two apples bouncing one at a time in his hands in front of a small, assorted audience, he raised his eyebrows temptingly and then switched hands with them so that they interchanged with each flick of his wrist. Astrid gave him a lopsided smile and gestured for him to try something else to entertain her cousin who was forever by her side under family circumstances. Hiccup flashed a nervous grin and moved on to three apples. This made her straighten up and yawn lightly, eyeing the oddly quiet four - year - old. Hiccup knotted his brow in determination as he tried for a fourth attempt.

The toddler perked up at the added red fruit.

Astrid smiled more genuinely and saw that Asterisk was watching with real interest. This encouraged Hiccup enough to where he smirked bravely and lowered down on his poled limb to retrieve the fifth one just inches away now. The girl was about to grab at him for doing such a trick but he managed to keep pace and juggle upside down briefly before righting himself up. With the apple tip between his teeth, Hiccup tossed it up and began juggling with it as a final addition. Astrid and Asterisk were in awe of his flashy reflexes.

"Hiccup!" His girlfriend breathed excitedly.

"Hiccup! Go, HICCUP!" Asterisk cheered and clapped his little hands.

For the finale, Hiccup tossed them up into the air and swung back with arms outstretched and his head thrown back. Four apples, two per hand, fell fittingly into his palms. Hiccup made sure his mouth was as open as he could get it before his last trick fell into place and … nothing fell into place. He opened his eyes and saw that a ten-foot Toothless lingered over him. The dragon nodded while Hiccup shook his head frantically and pulled away as the apple was crushed between his serrated teeth. Now the juice meant to enter Hiccup's open mouth spilled over his eyes. When he let out a suppressed scream, he immediately earned the panicked reaction of his reptile. Astrid rolled her eyes as the apples tumbled.

Her cousin, on the other hand, looked down as two of them rolled nearby and they both figured it meant one a piece. Astrid picked hers up and watched as Asterisk caught his in two hands. She took it from him and started gathering the concept of what Toothless had been doing. One look down at her ax, however, revealed that it was dull and without any luster. It had been a long while since she had needed it. When Astrid turned back around Asterisk had gathered up both apples under his arms and was hobbling away from Astrid.

"Apple water," He said to Toothless, holding them both up and asking, "Please dragon?"

Sheathing his incisors, the Night Fury took both up in his mouth - Astrid hurried over and held a skull mug beneath them - and squeezed both red-skinned apples delicately over the lowered mug until the sweet nectars were leaking down into the large drinking implement.

"Apple water!" Asterisk cheered, held it up and poured it down directly into his mouth.

"Aw," Astrid commented and curled her hands up by her sides, adding. "Great job, guys."

Toothless turned with apple juices running down his mouth to look at Hiccup.

"I'll…" he started to sit up, paused and then fell back down with a plunk. "stay here."

**OoO**

Buildings were being made from stone-carved bricks and people were actually excited to tear down their old homes. As Gobber and some of the older men oversaw it, Hiccup was busy going over designs near the start of the steep decline to one of the roughest shores in Berk. Toothless, now an impressive thirteen-feet-tall, was resting quietly as his friend went over the blueprints to make sure everything was right. That is, until Astrid arrived.

"All right," She yanked him up and started climbing up a surprised Toothless.

"Erm…?" He questioned.

"Come on, you know about the surprise I have in store."

"Hey wait, the projects-!"

"Will get done." Astrid snatched up the beige paper and tossed it over her shoulder. Hiccup smiled as she laid gently upon his shoulder, sending Toothless a knowing look. The Night Fury smiled at the two quaintly and was prepared to take off when Asterisk approached...

…

"Hiccup! Toothless! Astrid!"

All three looked at one another uneasily.

"Sorry, little guy," Hiccup said softly and lifted the boy down as he tried to climb on.

"Next time, okay?" Astrid told her cousin.

Toothless moaned sadly and took flight towards a large tower that was going up. They all were headed over to see the construction being done and possibly contribute themselves -among other things - so it was vital that Asterisk stay where he was safe. Hiccup felt guilt surge through him but when he tried to turn back Astrid grabbed his shoulder tightly and turned him to face forward sharply. Toothless lowered his head and gave another moan.

"Oh, not you too!.?"

Hiccup scratched him behind his ear. "_Do_ you feel the same way too?"

The dragon confirmed he felt the same way too.

"He has to learn to be on his own guys," Astrid insisted, turning around, "We can't just turn back around and head down because we feel bad. There are plenty of other people who…"

"Astrid…?"

"What are you wait for… _turn back around!_"

Hiccup and Toothless flashed each other big grins; the dragon's being with no teeth; and made a roundabout to head back down for Asterisk. The little yellow-haired boy had his back turned to return to his mother's home when they swooped down and snatched him up. He giggled and went to hug Hiccup around the chest; who gave him one back as well.

As the four friends headed up to the top, a small, wizened woman watched from below.

Her brown eyes narrowed as the stormy weather cleared and she shook her head slowly.

**ooo**

The sky was bright blue around a circle of white cumulous clouds, Astrid placed her hand on Hiccup's shoulder like before but slid it down in a gesture that suggested she had a lot on her mind and it didn't involve anything going on outside. Hiccup's mind was where the clouds were while his green-blue eyes would drift down occasionally to watch Toothless and Asterisk batting a ball back and forth. His lids gained weight watching the movement.

_Back and forth…_

Astrid took him around the waist and reached up on her toes until she was almost at eye level with Hiccup. Automatically the young man slipped his arms under hers and leaned back to support her surprising weight. Their lips connected a little forcedly but they both made the usual effort to enjoy it. Astrid was just about to slide her arms down his back to get at his tucked - in shirt when Hiccup righted himself up and placed her back onto solid ground. Astrid was mystified until he took her forearms and stared into her eyes with the most meaningful message he could muster. 'No.' He thought with all his might. 'No, Astrid.'

Hiccup was sure that she would leave him but all Astrid did was fall against his limbered chest, seeking support just like her cousin would do. And just like Asterisk, Hiccup took her in his arms to comfort. But unlike the boy, he lowered down and sensually started kissing.

**OoO**

Along the cobble stone path a six-almost-seven Asterisk walked down with a long stick fittingly placed atop his shoulders. Hiccup had noticed him and some older boys playing and had organized a team of five. But his friend, however, was nowhere to be found this morning. With a fifteen-foot-fall Toothless keeping his wings folded up to hold the roof overhangs in tact, and most villagers working on the newest discovery of 'clear rock' or 'see-through stone', Asterisk was left to his own devices. His mother was ill and most of the other kids had already left without him, not bothering if Hiccup wouldn't be arriving.

"Guess it's just us," the boy said lamely. He smiled a bit and started twirling his stick.

Toothless tucked his big legs under himself and watched with interest as Asterisk moved it hand-over-hand, having gotten some of his ideas from watching Hiccup's antics. They stayed immersed in his propelling piece of wood when a sharp streak of thunder boomed overhead. Asterisk, as he usually did, sought cover. Toothless, however, only watched on.

The dragon stood with his charge underneath his somewhat growing girth and turned to make the short pilgrimage back to Asterisk's home. But before the dark clouds opened to release their sheets of rain, and before a faint streak of blue lightening rapped the sky, the two looked up at the stone-bricked spire that became outlined against its azure backdrop.

**ooo**

"Hiccup."

"What?" the nineteen-year-old spoke, out-of-sorts with what Astrid wanted.

"You promised."

"I know," He said with a touch of frustration in his voice, "But I'm not-,"

And she silenced him with a kiss, pressing his bare body to her own.

To be continued…

**Short A/N:** Okay, so this hopefully explains a few things that have happened. I'll be sure to get back on track with the main plot next chapter. However, I did enjoy writing this as I just turned 21 and am now the same age as Hiccup currently. ^^ Anyway, more soon…

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	6. Twenty  One Suns Salute: Pt 1 of 2

**A/N: **This is a two-part chapter. The second part will be posted to commemorate 9/11. 

**I.**

The day had dawned cloudy but had parted mid-way through noontime to create a very peaceful, almost tranquil atmosphere to all those living in Berk. This, however, was not what most were feeling due to the three hour tardiness of Hiccup. He and Toothless had not been seen in days and Stoick had sent every able-bodied person - not including the elderly or Asterisk - to search the two out. The man was decked in an uncomfortable yet traditional ceremony suit. He tugged at the strain the tight-fitting white leather hide made around his mid-section and squinted at the enormous sundial centered within the village.

Which - he noted nervously - was no longer to be his.

"Give the boy a few more minutes," Gobber insisted. "If not, we feast!" he eyed a platter full of big ox legs with particular interest over on one of many long, dark-wooded tables.

"This isn't like him," The chief said to himself quietly. "No, not like Hiccup to disappear for days on end." a hotness stung his eyes. "This can't happen again." He breathed, choking.

"Stoick." The former blacksmith spoke his name in real concern.

"Look!" Someone from the crowds suddenly exclaimed, pointing upwards.

**ooo**

From hidden locations that only Gobber and several others knew about, big twin shafts of month-long wielded metal opened up from a place out on the edge of the stone-brick and glass-cylindered village. Leaves, rocks, logs and dirt covering them up slid away as these enormous shafts folded to the side with a loud thud that shook everything at their hinges.

"I thought…" Stoick's voice was low and dangerous, "you'd _given up _wielding."

"Um," Gobber shrugged helplessly, genuinely clueless, "A man grows restless."

The chief's burly red brows tightened together more angrily.

"Now, Stoick-," the Viking backed away anxiously with his hands up to try and calm him.

It hadn't been more then once that the Village Chef had come close to taking a head off.

"What," He grabbed at his friend's best shirt and yanked him forward, "is going on?"

"Well, to tell a once tall-tale short." the man took a breath, "Me and a few of the other younger Vikings banded together to create a sort of prototype balloon that Hiccup could use with Toothless in sync so that the dragon could travel to the Thunder Isles right past the Lightening Torrents since it's been known between only me and your mum for many years that Night Furies only come into season every twenty years. And how I know all of this is true is because I and my fellow pirates drove Night Furies to near extinction nearly twenty years ago, so I'm suppos in' that's why Toothless has been so dang moody lately."

Stoick just stared at him with a look of bewilderment.

"I guess that's a bit of a long tale, isn't it?" Gobber admitted sheepishly.

The men turned as thirty foot tall, twisted arrows of bulb-forming iron rose to the sunset struck sky. "Oh my Gods," Stoick said in astonishment. This couldn't be happening to him!

**OoO**

Astrid watched with uncertainty at what she was seeing when a spinning device on a pole stuck out of the project Hiccup had refused to take part in two weeks. Not only that, he'd insisted that everyone leave it hidden and act like it had never been there. She slowly and deliberately shook her head as what finally appeared to be a dragon weathervane wielded from black metal surfaced. Her cousin, however, was looking excited. Had Asterisk known?

"Hiccup," He said with a wide grin spreading across his face.

"_Hiccup__!.?" _Astrid repeated in disbelief. She hadn't considered it!

As if to confirm the truth in that one name, a giant ball of energy hurled from the curving confines of the metal contraption. The blue spitfire shot through the air and alerted all of the dragons that had been confined to the shoreline for Hiccup's coronation - something that Stoick had been keen on. He had done it mostly though to make a statement that the future of Berk was not to completely rely on dragons and that there was still a status quo.

But as a pair of circled blue eyes leered out of the curled, black metal, there came a low murmur of voices that seemed to disagree with Stoick's ideas. The youngest set of child Vikings, each with their own young dragons as well, started cheering and hollering with glee and anticipation at the presentation that was forming before them. Stoick, full of all his doubts and uncertainties, dressed for the part of post-chief, could only watch on now.

To be continued…

~Lavenderpaw~


	7. Twenty One Suns Salute: Pt 2 of 2

**A/N: **In belated memory of the victims and families of 9/11.

**I.**

The throngs of crowds watched in awe as Hiccup - dressed heavily in a buckskin jacket - rose from the opening arrows of metal while pedaling a type of bike inside of a basket - like structure. Asterisk immediately pulled out the small one that his friend had given to him several weeks ago as an early ninth birthday present. Now he could watch as an off-white material began to expand out from under the long, black iron rod. Like a ship starting to set sail, the faster Hiccup worked the controls the higher he got and the more flameless fuel he created while pedaling the bigger the balloon inflated. Astrid peered down at him.

"Did you know?" She whispered urgently.

He shook his head hard. "Honest. I didn't know what he was doing."

Everyone got noisier as a large, slender black leg stepped out from the receding shadows and a trim and fit Toothless made an appearance for them. Cheers began to ring out from nearly everyone now as the dragon displayed his enormous size and muscular body while Hiccup worked to fill the blimp-shaped balloon to it's maximum plumpness. As all this was happening, a small rumble of thunder sounded from unseen distances. Asterisk trembled.

"Hiccup's going to be okay, right?"

Astrid wasn't sure how to reassure her cousin.

"I-,"

The insignia of a bold, black thunder bolt appeared on the fully inflated balloon.

"I hope so, Asterisk. Gods I hope so.

**OoO**

From where he sat upon the leather seat, Hiccup glimpsed down at the villagers below. When his green eyes fell to the small, yellow-headed boy he felt a sense of completion enter his heart that had been sorely lacking. This wasn't just for Toothless, it was for a boy who needed to see something miraculous. "Yeah, Hiccup, yeah!" He let out a holler.

The Night Fury sniggered good-naturedly as Asterisk pumped his fist in the air.

When Hiccup let his gaze turn to meet his father's, the expected stone-faced look was exactly what connected to it. The young, should-be Viking Chief felt his brows draw in apologetically before he tugged at a brown belt fastened around his waist, and planted a well-polished, horned helmet atop his head. Stoick's eyes widened - the breast plate fit…

… Hiccup tugged at the side of it in a gesture of respect.

His father, facing the reality that he might never see his son again, tugged at the side of his own. They let their eyes linger for a few more seconds before Hiccup turned to fully concentrate on the demanding functions of his friends' creation. Two great bundles that were on both sides of the basket snapped down when Toothless pulled back his gigantic wings, and everyone watched as the sturdy black materials came rippling down from the snapped cords. Now as they came to a stoned point, dragons joined the human populace.

Stoick looked around in search of disapproval but no one seemed too particularly mad.

Instead as Toothless arrived at the rock tip he surveyed his brethren from the base of the large stone to the far reaches of the ocean that lay beyond the buildings and construction. The dragons looked to one another excitedly as Toothless retracted his teeth in, flared his nostrils out to summon a deep inner power and blasted a volley of great, blue energy right up into the gold - tinted atmosphere. They roared in literal approval as they all threw back their heads and sent accompanying, voluminous energy attacks bursting up after the black dragon's. Together the swirls of energies created an intertwined upsurge of colorful lights.

Everyone - with the exception of Astrid and Stoick - burst into applause.

Now that the entire village was aware of what was going on, Hiccup turned his attention to a switch that was near the handle of his basket bike. With a start, and a glance over at a watchful Toothless, the young man flicked it out of place and the pair began to rise up into the air. In place of his sense of control came the embodiment of man and beast as a series of sensations and impulses began to spill through Hiccup's body. When Toothless moved his now off-the-ground left paw to get back down; Hiccup cranked the loosened, left handle to bring the entire contraption down. This worked with all their arms and legs. Cords bounded Toothless and Hiccup's limbs and when the dragon made a move then his exact action would trigger a sensation for his friend to move as well; A pilot and co-pilot.

**ooo**

"I wonder what controls the tail part." Gobber wondered aloud. "We stopped mid-way."

"What do you mean?" Stoick turned to him gruffly.

"Well, obviously Hiccup doesn't have a tail… unless of course he's a shape shifter."

They watched as the young man strained and the metal arrows, jointed from wood - taut joint to wood taut joint, formed a large fan at the end of a sturdy wood lumbered tail. Two more black material vanes that had thin cords attached to them appeared, trailing down to Toothless's bottom vanes and tail pieces. It was simultaneous the way the two worked. A monumental effort in order to control such a massive invention. Yet, they worked well as a combined unit. People marveled at the way they began to gently gain gradual buoyancy.

"Now, I'm just wonderin'," Gobber leaned sideways to Stoick, "I mean, obviously you've not seen him since he was a wee babe. But compared to you, what size would you say…"

… The Viking chief didn't say a word; quieting his friend.

Hiccup continued to wince and frown as the ironed blades of the tail fin went to work.

Up ahead were some familiar faces waiting for them.

**OoO**

Toothless met the young adult Viking foursome and their dragons at the base of a small, planked platform. He craned his scaly neck from side-to-side to meet their gazes in pure appreciation. They nodded their happiness to take part in what was happening and turned to gaze up at Hiccup who nodded back with a warm smile. A slightly suspenseful second arose as the Night Fury continued watching him and a slip of transparent black moved all the away across his eye. Hiccup grew worried for him until he saw a ring of glowing blue appear; He felt a wave of understanding for the unknowns they was about to delve into.

As Toothless turned his head back around to face forward, Hiccup went to work placing on a pair of clear-rock goggles - held in place by a snapping latch and a tight knot - while tugs at his arms and legs demanded his attention. They couldn't _make _him act in any absolute accordance with the dragon's motions, but Hiccup knew he was going to have to keep up if they were to achieve and maintain perfect lift-off. The twins riding their Zippleback on one side and Snotface and Fishlegs on the other side gave themselves big smug looks before going down under the fourteen-foot arisen structure and pulling down on four long cords.

With a rippling affect, the paneled platform unfurled itself at breakneck speed as it went down plank-for-plank to the end before stopping just short of a crook in the main docks. The four friends rode their dragons to the very end of it where it had stopped and made two long beams fall to the ground that were attached underneath. From there some of the youngest Vikings with their child dragons went to work at securing them into the ground.

**OoO**

When Toothless looked back one more time at Hiccup, he knew it was time. He nodded at the dragon who thrust both of his over twelve-foot-span wings out like giant drapes that moved with a kind of hidden majesty to them. In correlation with this, the forty-four-foot long wings of the balloon moved in exactness as he flexed his natural ones around. And when he would move his tail around slowly in a compromise to Hiccup, two more vanes at the top and bottom of his tail tip flicked out. And Hiccup, flinching, would tolerate it. This in turn caused the big iron arrow-tip fan to spin around with thin cords along the lumber tail.

They situated themselves and their enormous structure while just barely making contact with the ground, positioned themselves at a perfect, straight angle and braced themselves for take-off; Toothless went at a headlong dash - having no idea if any of this would work - and found himself able to gallop at full speed down the long track with his newly worked on limbs cording with lean muscle. He released a roar of excitement and bolted up into the air. Toothless didn't anticipate falling, he didn't anticipate crashing, he expected full flight.

**ooo**

Hiccup, anticipating falling, anticipating crashing - was surprised when he achieved just the opposite. With his movements matching Toothless's - pulling levers, cranking handle bars and yanking on cords; they both managed to achieve flight into the dawn of gray twilight.

**OoO**

"Now, I'm just curious Astrid." Gobber leaned over to his left where Astrid still gawked in amazement at what had just happened. "You've seen Hiccup in ways that we haven't."

She sent him a stiff glare. "He _just _flew away in an untested balloon contraption and…

… and!.?"

"And I was just wondering, and I know it's been two years… how big would you say…?"

Astrid grit her teeth dangerously at him.

The four: Astrid, Asterisk, Gobber and Stoick: stood together watching as they flew out.

And flew away.

**ooo**

"Good-bye, Hiccup… and good-luck, my son."

'_I love you.'_

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	8. Forestry of predatory: Pt 1 of 3

****

****

****

**...**

**I**.

Five days into the excursion...

Hiccup breathed hard and even as he took his shift. As soon as he had waken up from the only light snoozing that he was allowed, Toothless hadn't hesitated to take his five - hour sleep break. Storms were the worst and so, to Hiccup' embarrassment and great relief, he would leave most of the flying to Toothless. But then, it wasn't easy to control a balloon hobble, enormous black wings, gears, levers and only get a minimal response from what was an otherwise unconscious reptile. But Hiccup managed to do well enough to stay up.

At least most of the time, the first few days he had had to take his shift by ocean.

Gobber had said that to make it to the once fabled Lightening Torrents - which were the breeding grounds for Night Furies - it would take five weeks by sea and then another five to sail back. Hiccup had believed in the beginning that he and Toothless were both strong and connected enough to achieve the trip in under a week. Now, things had begun turning chancy. He looked over his see - through cup of warm mutton juice to take in that the two were fairly nose - diving down. The man grimaced and began doing everything randomly.

**ooo**

Toothless barely had risen his heavy lids when he felt a tall timber snap underneath his stomach. The Night Fury grunted unpleasantly and glared back at Hiccup who sent him a pleading look. Taking a huffy breath, he took his time to unhinge the metal release under his harness with his left foot and quickly gained control of the situation. A noise of relief issued from his friend's lips as they coasted down gently causing Toothless to smile a bit.

"Hey, come on! I _tried._"

The dragon only sniggered.

**ooo**

Breaking sun crested behind the pair as they searched out the unscathed timberland. The novelty of the seemingly untouched trees weren't lost on Hiccup and Toothless, they had not ever seen one that hadn't at least been missing a branch. Both friends searched about with a gray metal compass that had a bright red arrow that spun around, given to them by Gobber. Hiccup rode side - footed on Toothless with his prosthetic pole in the stirrup and the rest of his body hanging loosely as they moved at an easy pace. '_I wonder how far…?'_

A loud groan guzzled from just below him.

"Uh, bud," He grinned nervously, "I think your stomach just talked."

Toothless blinked once and lowered his head to examine his slimmed figure.

"E - rrr."

"I know, bud, but dive - bombing for fish gets a little… hard. You know, after a while. I have all this equipment with me and…" Hiccup massaged his neck. "Can we just forage tonight?"

The Night Fury rolled his eyes back in thought before giving him a sly look and nodding.

This caused Hiccup to chuckle and rub him behind his left ear flap. "We'll make do."

A spread of berry - bearing trees not far away appeared right out of nowhere. Toothless snorted suspiciously causing Hiccup to wince; As they had learned with most of the good things that had entered their life; If it was too good to be true, then it unforunately was.

**…**

**A/N: **Ha-ha! I guess that last message kind of correlates with my life right now. Looking at different school options that take under a year and I'm kind of unsure about things; you know, affordability, the usual.:( Just wish me luck; and maybe these guys while you're at it.

To be continued (whether I find employment or not; I shall still update!…)

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	9. Forestry of predatory: Pt 2 of 3

**I. **

Hiccup ducked his head to avoid the lowest branch as Toothless raised him up atop his nose. The young man had perfected the art of balancing on one leg; Now he was able to effortlessly pluck plump red berries the size of his hand down and stow them safely into a stretchy brown bag with a rope to tighten and tie when he finished. As the dragon shifted positions up and down fluidly, a scurrying from underneath some nearby brush caught his attention. He jerked his head around - causing Hiccup to grasp desperately for the branch he was working on - and flash his fangs once as summertime leaves fluttered to the earth.

"Toothless! Buddy…? A little help!"

Seeing Hiccup's distress, Toothless turned back around and nudged him up into what was the mainframe of the branches. A plethora of weighty berries caused the two to grin slyly at each other before Hiccup started working again and Toothless was left as a ladder plus balancing beam. He flared his slit nostrils at this thought and proceeded to start plucking berries from above Hiccup's head while moving him to stand flat up on his big claw palms.

"Ow!"

Toothless glanced down.

"Could you _please_ watch where you drop fruit?" the Viking asked grouchily, massaging the spot where a berry had apparently conked him on the head. Toothless wore an unamused look as he wryly spat one down on purpose. Hiccup's eyes widened and he dodged it fast.

"Hah!" He said and reared back with a fruit gripped in his hand. "_And…" _there came the less - then - promising 'plew!' sound of a fruit breaking. As the young man brought his hand up to examine the juice - drenched palm, Toothless began sniggering in a low, deep chuckle.

"Oh, ha - ha! Just get back to picking berries."

The Night Fury smirked and swallowed the ones he had already claimed.

"You might wanna save some of those bud, no tell in' when we might be eating again."

While Hiccup went for the average - sized berries, one particularly large berry caught the eye of Toothless. He leaned up further and seized it by engulfing it in his entire mouth in one gulp. Hiccup leered up at him but found that the dragon's feet were no longer on the ground. Toothless's tail tip was wrapped up on one of the highest branches and he was in the process of engorging more berries. If the tail didn't slant so far back Hiccup would have laughed. As it were, when the Night Fury dropped back down onto his feet the tree swung away from them before abruptly doubling back and thwacking Hiccup across the forehead.

"Toothless!" He yelped, dropping his berries and cradling his throbbing scalp as he flew back through the air. The Viking was almost sure he was going to break his back when he felt something clutch him under the arms. Toothless, in a flash, was holding him like many would hold a small child. When the dragon leaned forward Hiccup shakily held out a glass.

He winced over at his friend as he smiled a wide, berry - toothed smile; this compensated enough for Hiccup to send Toothless a forgiving smile back. "Just squeeze the juice, bud."

The Night Fury blew a waft of air on him through his nose once before moving inches away from Hiccup and crushing the small berries into the cylinder. The juice gave off an extremely strong, almost pungent smell that made the man wrinkle his nose. Toothless merely tossed his jade eyes up in a roll before revealing the enormous berry wedged inside of his throat.

"You might wanna swallow that, bud."

He seemed to ponder this a moment before raising his open mouth over Hiccup's small - in - comparison head and intentionally squirting some of the juice on him from the side of his thin lips. Hiccup, doused and smelling of wild berries, slicked his brown hair back coolly and downed the glass of juice. He then fingered out the rest and smeared it across the large black dragon's nose with a devious grin. Toothless grinned back and tongued him against his hurried protests, Hiccup's poor hair ended up slathered with saliva and off to one side.

"You never speak of this to anyone!" He said loudly and flatly. At the dragon's wistfully moving expression, Hiccup shook his head and stuck out his red - purple colored tongue.

Toothless copied him happily.

**ooo**

"Pretty cold out tonight, huh bud?"

Hiccup's observation was to no avail.

"Come on," He waved a hand at him to come near the campfire and have cooked fish and berry juice, but Toothless only kept his distance and glared off into the shadowy tree line.

A rustling noise brought them to attention and Hiccup grabbed at his crutches to go stand beside his friend. Several tense seconds passed before a small squirrel came bounding out of the forest. Hiccup stood up straighter and sent Toothless an obvious look. It gave a tiny twitch of it's pink nose and scampered off into some other part of the forest. Toothless let his nostrils flare indignantly and went to lay further away now, his back to Hiccup. When the Viking tried to reason with him he only snorted and swished his tail resentfully. There were a few minutes where Hiccup lingered to see if Toothless would change his mind on the matter. It became apparent after about ten or eleven minutes that he wouldn't move.

Finally Hiccup sighed sadly and - sloshing a bucket of water on the wood - turned with his back to Toothless as well. His mind hovered on the brink of sleep but the dragon's nervy and erratic attitude concerned him enough to where he couldn't just fall into a deep sleep and rest. How could they be just fine around each other one moment and at odds the very next? Trying not to be too disturbed by these oddities, Hiccup gradually sank into a lulling.

**OoO**

As soon as Toothless was sure his friend was sound asleep, the Night Fury rolled up on to his feet and shook himself off before turning to look over at the slumbering form that lay across the way. A little pained, he started over towards him quietly. Hiccup looked more vulnerable when he slept - more like the way he had six years ago. Toothless nuzzled his shoulder tenderly for a moment and then took off in the direction of the alarming noises. What he didn't notice, however, was a wolf - faced creature watching him from a treetop.

To be continued…

**A/N: **Yeah, our heroes aren't as close as they used to be; but I can fix that right up. ^_-

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	10. Forestry of predatory: Pt 3 of 3

****

I.

His eyes were acute. Where movement shifted off to the sides is where he would snap his head around. His ears were sensitive. When something snapped on a twig - no matter how small - they would prick to the sometimes irritating sensation. But what the strongest and most potent sense that Toothless believed that he, himself, possessed was his sixth sense-:

His judgment.

There was a rush off to his left, causing him to point his nose in that direction. A pause or two later another rush flew behind him. The Night Fury extracted and flashed his gleaming teeth with a low growl at whatever had made the noise off to his right. Whatever it was, it was bigger then himself and he knew that the blue almost purple glow emanating from his eyes gave his teeth a perfect gleam, adding to the message of warning he sent to them all.

Hiccup was his first priority on this mission and nothing was going to put him at risk.

****

II.

Back in Berk…

"Ya know, Stoick, if ye wanted to start a sort of exercise regime…"

The bearded man sent him a poisonous look.

"I'm just sayin', before Hiccup gets back so that you two can do the things you use to…"

Stoick stood up from the feast they were having and leaned down into Gobber's face.

"It was just a thought."

****

III.

Before Toothless knew it there were five creatures that surrounded him. As their small group grew he went down into a crouch, snarling and showing his teeth as the strange lupine - like creatures multiplied up to ten now. They held rocks in their crooked muzzles and the gnarled claws on their feet looked like they had dug them up from the earth. Their bodies postioned to attack when their attention was diverted to something a few yards behind him - Hiccup's voice rang out like a death bell tolling as he called the dragon's name. Twenty big insentient yellow eyes all flashed up to make out his crutched silhouette before going after him at once.

Toothless ran.

"RAWAR!" He cried out in terror; but it was not for himself.

The long, limbered bodies moved in striding scampers to engulf Hiccup. "Toothless, run!"

****

OoO

In a blurred frenzy, before Hiccup could even take another breath after telling his friend to save himself, something large and black as night cut off his line of vision. At first he'd only been following the violet iridescence that emitted from Toothless's eyes - something most likely caused by his unbalanced hormones; when suddenly he'd come face - to - face with nearly a dozen angry fireflies coming at him. That is, until the night shield intervened. In those first few moments it wasn't exactly clear what the shield was; until Hiccup heard it.

"Uhhh," The sound of a siren call whined.

"Toothless!" He screamed.

But there was nothing he could do, the Night Fury was being savagely assaulted by a wild pack of animals. Hiccup tried with all his might to beat them off of him as what sounded like chunks of meat were being ripped out of Toothless. The man was now in tears as he made the creatures cry out with his relentless metal crutch beatings when, abruptly, a silence fell.

To be continued…

~Lavenderpaw~


	11. The capture

**I.**

Hiccup could hear the low, slightly hissed breathing of Toothless as he froze in place with the loud noises of a man calling out orders to what sounded like softly murmuring soldiers somewhere amongst the trees and bushes that surrounded them at the front. He made sure he kept his own breathing quiet and even as he used his fingers to dig into the impressions of scales he was used to and slowly make his way over to his friend's head. The man said something in a foreign language and over Toothless's dipped neck Hiccup could make out in his splay of eye light that whoever it was had indicated that the Night Fury be captured.

"No." Hiccup ducked down and whispered through his teeth in fright. He scrambled over with wide, terrified eyes to where Toothless lay in disheartened resignation. "Toothless."

The pupil widened on him but the violet iris of his eye stayed the same as it roved down.

"I'm sorry," He said, almost mouthing the words, "I'm sorry for letting you down."

Toothless moaned a little before flashing his eyes - quickly taking on a piercing quality - on the approaching shadows of the men. He glanced back quickly to his friend, winced in apology himself, and folded Hiccup with his enormous wings against his saddle less back.

The young Viking held his breath and managed to peer out from the crease of Toothless's wing as a large weapon he had never seen before was raised in the splay of light. Whatever it was, it had two cylinders that elongated out in varying size. The long one sounded off in a puff of smoke and a concave of tiny squares blew out at Toothless and Hiccup. What felt like netting pressed against Hiccup's ear and he retreated inside of his friend's wings. With a shudder of breath, he looked up and watched as the shorter cylinder was activated. What had to be a dart shot across whatever distance there was and hit it's mark. Toothless gave a soft whine as Hiccup muttered how sorry he was; again and again as the dragon relaxed.

When his friend went completely still, he gasped deep in his throat and fear for what might be was enough to paralyze him in stillness as well. From outside the crease of Toothless's wings, Hiccup watched as the creatures from before were being secured by the men. They tied them to long pieces of thick rope while unseen men - he could barely make them out - fastened the roped nets to pack animals further out into the distance. Hiccup felt Toothless and himself jiggling as someone yelled out for the men to start back for places unknown.

"Emilian!" Someone called out to him.

The leader Emilian; a youthful sounding man; rebuked his solider harshly in strange words.

"He - yaw!" A loud, queer voice rang out and the motion Hiccup experienced was fast and a little bit dizzying. Upon peering out again, he saw that the bushy brown animals that had attacked them so viciously were curled into balls and looked fast asleep. '_He's… asleep?'_

The revelation that his best friend wasn't dead didn't bring the kind of relief that any other normal human being would probably take for granted. Instead, the fact that these creatures had put up such a fight, such a _defense_, had the wheels turning in Hiccup's head. Added to his worries and concerns was the fact that a gigantic row of dark spires had appeared from the immediately dwarfed timberland they had been traveling in -: _'The Lighting Torrents?' _

_To be continued…_

~Lavenderpaw~


	12. Lands beyond Berk: Pt 1 of 2

**I.**

A mist fringed around Hiccup's vision as he tried opening his eyes…

_"You have no faith that I've grown into an honorable man…"_

"_Hiccup… Hiccup… Hi - c - c - u - p." _Stoick's voice faded into nothing.

"Dad." His son spoke simply. Hiccup rubbed at his eyes and then, afraid for his father and everyone else in Berk, shot up in a spiking of fear to his heart. "DAD!" the man's bearings caught hold in that moment and he clamped his mouth shut with his hand. Searching about and seeing that he was in a hollowed out tree trunk with night seeping in, he calmed down.

"Oh… Gods." Hiccup fell back to what felt like beaver fur under him. Streams leading all the way from the ocean were probably barricaded by dams, with their builders most likely not meeting a very favorable end. "Toothless," he took a breath, "where're you at, bud?"

The dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Hiccup went over in his mind the best possible course of action he could take. If he went after his friend with no idea in the world as to where he could be contained, he risked the men from before finding him and doing whatever they saw fit to the Viking intruder. If he did nothing at all, they were going to decide what to do with him. At this moment Hiccup knew the best possible course of action was resting and getting some kind of nutrients in his system. Luckily, surprisingly, a black cauldron over delicately laid wood kindling met Hiccup's line of gaze. He took a rag near his fur bed and dipped it into the heated waters.

Upon doing this the man realized someone had preheated this for _him. _"Nice."

Hiccup brought the doused piece of cloth out and began to rub his face down. Once he felt freshened, his next task was to locate some food and then develop a plan when a string of noodles rose flutteringly out of what turned out to be a brewed soup. With his stomach all of sudden knotting with hunger, Hiccup seized a wooden spoon and began slurping his fill.

'Where could Toothless be?' he thought as he quickly finished off his first helping. 'Gods, I have gotta find a way out of here without being noticed.' Their best chance now of even having a chance to get out alive and undetected is if Hiccup could get back to the plane. If the men hadn't furthered their approach into the forest, then Hiccup could possibly use the wooden holders from the cauldron and make his way back to where it was covered over in brush. And if Hiccup could do this, he would set the contraption to _his_ setting and fly right over their heads in search of Toothless. The man sighed sadly, praying his friend was well.

**OoO**

"A Night Fury!" One of the guards growled in their native language, glowering at the big, black dragon as his men locked it in a reinforced metal cage - one of many that surrounded the arena which held the most common dragons; Gronckles; to more dangerous canid - ish creatures such as the Drinago. The head guard wrinkled his nose and snapped the latch on.

How the creature had grown to be this big and overweight was a mystery. His people had been trying to dispel the dragons from their villages for generations, from having to move to finally waging war on the creatures. Almost all of the gypsy families had wished to try and co - exist with the dragons over the years. Unsurprisingly, most of these gypsies had been women. He chuckled to himself darkly; imaging Emilian breaking the gigantic lizard.

**ooo**

A line of blue was appearing on the horizon as Hiccup took hold of a saddled pack animal - a creature with an elongated muzzle he had never seen before - and raced to unhook the latch which bound it to a wooden post. In pre - dawn, Hiccup appeared standing crooked but intent with the large, dark creature. It made noises like Toothless and showed similar resistance like in the beginning, but whatever it was, it was not ever going to replace him.

The man set out from the hollowed out, sequoia teepees and ventured back off into what had to be the most well - preserved trees he had ever seen. However, his mission was very clear at this point. He had to find the plane, abandon the saddle animal and find Toothless.

What Hiccup didn't notice, however, was a comely figure peering out behind a teepee.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: **Gypsies, and tree teepees and weird creatures, oh my! Find out more soon. ;)

~Lavenderpaw~


	13. Lands beyond Berk: Pt 2 of 2

**I.**

Hiccup stared in awe at what lie before him.

The wings of the plane had been dismantled and taken; it was as if a giant had undid them and carried the valuable pieces off with no clues left at all. A few objects like strung bags lay tossed around and the brush had been scattered around as parts of _Hiccup's _plane had been stolen. He shook his head and made his way over on the metal cauldron rods. It was hard for him to see the empty basket of the balloon left behind and, even more so, the big balloon itself was gone. Anger gripped Hiccup's heart as he punched the twigs and ferns.

"_No_."

A voice spoke from behind him; it sounded gentle and hesitant when speaking to Hiccup, but it was in a foreign tongue. In fact, it sounded exactly like the language from two nights ago.

"You!" He whirled around with his finger out, Hiccup's tone and eyes blared in wrath.

The gypsy girl held up her bangle - wearing hands, moving her dark purple dress and lilac colored sashes so that she could step away faster. Hiccup let his guard down as he eyed her over; she was darker skinned then any person he had ever seen and looked younger than himself. Her small oval face and deep brown eyes made _him _back away in hesitation.

"Uh… hi."

She said something short and pleasant in her language.

"Do you… know, uh, what happened to my plane here?" Hiccup turned and pointed.

"Luca." the gypsy held out her hand as if she wanted him to take it.

The Viking grinned and took it generously; he couldn't help himself. "Hiccup."

She giggled before inquiring him in her language.

"Me… uh, I… need… to… _find _a dragon. He's a Night Fury: Toothless."

"Dragon? Night Fury?" the rest of her native words followed in astonishment… "Viking?"

"Yes."

"Viking…" more words. "dragon."

Hiccup took a step forward and looked Luca in the eyes. "I. Want. To. Find. Dragon." he patted his heart, smiling gently. The look in her brown ones changed from confusion to a gradual understanding. "Hiccup and Toothless _find,_" he gestured around. "Thunder Isles."

"Thunder Isles." Luca shook her head frightfully.

"Please." He took her by the arms, realizing she had kept him safe all night. "Toothless."

"Night Fury: Toothless?"

"Night Fury." Hiccup touched his heart. "Find?"

After a long moment of turning and looking lingeringly at the plane, Luca met his eyes. She spoke in words that sounded like doing this would be complicated. Hiccup nodded 'yes' and gestured at the pack animal grazing close by, showing the young teen that he had an idea.

"Find?" He asked again.

Luca searched his eyes before touching her heart and saying in confirmation. "Find."

**II.**

"Get it into the pin!" Besnik ordered the men from above the ring. "Open the other ones."

Six sets of bright yellow eyes appeared almost instantly on one side of the enormous oval. There was a metallic screeching and two long, curving metal gates slid open on the other side. The creature within groaned from it's drowsed state and lumbered out into the open, straw strewn area. It's memories were foggy and it's purpose for being there wasn't clear.

"Rummm." the Night Fury mewled and shook it's head. Where was the wild treelands it was used to, where was the great body of water that it drank from? Wasn't there someone that the Night Fury should remember about? The confused reptile ambled out obliviously further.

Before it could react, Dirangos; vicious half - wolf, half- squirrel - like creatures charged out at it. The memory of the creatures arrived much too late and the big Night Fury was taken down by the angered animals. It tried to swat them off with it's enormous tail, roll around and shake them off but they kept coming. Wounds that had been strangely numb until this point reacted in piercing splinters of pain as the dragon's flesh was gouged further. It was pushing, shaking, twisting and turning to try and remove the pack of Dirangos torturing it.

'Fight. Defend. Stop.'

Somehow the Night Fury couldn't bring itself to attack back.

Just as suddenly as they had attacked… they stopped. Their bodies stiffened and all six collapsed in a fall of instant slumber. The dragon rose to it's black paws, panting heavy pants and bleeding from open wounds sliced into it's body. When it looked up, trying to locate any source of help or rescue, a short - haired, brown toned man dressed in long wraps of deep red shawls smiled down condescendingly at it; This was who it wanted.

The Night Fury flared its nostrils.

"We'll break you." He said in a deep, mesmeric voice. "It's only a matter of mutilation."

**OoO**

"Lu_ca_." Emilian said as he past by on his horse. The princess of their family bowed down gracefully with a sweep of her thin, fragile arm. As per usual, the girl was overacting; She was an entertainer at heart, Emilian knew this, but her responsibilities as future queen and ruler of their family depended on her insight and wisdom. "What are you up to now girl?"

She giggled sheepishly and hid behind her coal - black mare. "Giving Mayla exercise."

The fourteen - year - old ducked lower on the side of the large female horse as to obscure his view further, causing the young twenty - two - year - old prince to incline his head so he could see her better. She peered up, widened her eyes and ducked back down. "Emil?"

He sighed roughly at her annoying cuteness. "What is it, Luke?"

"May I go to the ring?"

Emilian's thick brows rose at her inquiry. "Have you finished your chores and lessons?"

She hid from view. "Yes."

"Are you lying to me, Luke?"

"Possibly."

He sighed again.

"Do not let your mother see you." the young man road on.

Luca quickly directed Mayla to keep going towards the wide, sequoia structured arena.

**ooo**

'Gods.' Hiccup thought in haggard relief, clinging on to the underbelly of the creature's harness. 'Well, whatever gets me closer to Toothless. We can't be too far from the Isles.'

The Viking sensed the man pause from on his male riding animal.

"Luca." Emilian spoke with a heart - stopping suddenness.

An affirmative word, and then she half questioned / half answered. "Emil?"

He told her to do something - included the word "Viking" - and then galloped away.

Hiccup heard her sharp gasp and than he knew.

But the not knowing part only made him frustrated and scared.

'Toothless.' His thoughts lingered to his friend.

The dragon wasn't just his partner, he wasn't even just his friend, he was a part Hiccup.

**III.**

Thick, near strangulating chains were wound around the Night Fury by dark orange shawl - wearing men. They grunted and spoke harshly as the two - story - tall animal stood very still and unmoving. In the wild when a dragon caught you down and had total control, you did not fight it. Death could come quickly and it was considered cowardly anyways to try and resist your fate. If something had you down, you submitted to it. That's what life was. But there was something the dragon was missing; there was something it couldn't recall.

"Tighten it down well." Besnik told them angrily. "We need to get it ready for training."

Training? What was training?

Despite the dragon's searing pain, it could not show weakness. That was even worst then fighting back when you had already lost. In the wild if a dragon knew you were sick, they would not only bully you - they would make you serve under them. Still, the dragon, even as confused and in pain as it was in, could somehow remember a time when it had been in the open air and free. But it knew, even if it did not remember, that whatever situation it'd been in before that it had been enslaved. If only, if only the Night Fury could summon it's memories. 'Please, don't hurt me.' something tightened, stopping some of it's circulation.

'My arms… legs… ouch.'

It's tail was suspended uncomfortably.

'No. Stop.'

It's neck was collared and it started to thrash around in refusal. 'No! No! NO.'

The Night Fury was elevated off the ground, it felt it's big wounds bleed and the rest of it's blood being crushed and prevented from flowing properly. Breaking everything that it had ever been taught, the dragon started fighting. Darkness eventually enveloped it as it kept struggling in vain. The pulling and pushing dug the bounds deeper into the dragon's open flesh and caused itself more agony; But it did not stop. It would never stop fighting to live.

__

**Ever.**

To be continued…

~Lavenderpaw~


	14. Lands Beyond Berk: Pt 3 of 3

********

****

I.

The holding ceils in the arena...

Luca spoke something excitedly in her language and began twisting a piece of twine in between her fingers to show Hiccup. The young man glanced at her patiently as a giant spider formed sketchily in the thin, black threads. He smiled sideways before turning to leer off into the shadow below them. This was where Toothless was, waiting for Hiccup.

**ooo**

"You come to me with questions, Emilian." His soon - to - be father - in - law Evan, the Gypsy king and father of Luca, said as the young man entered the tall, hollowed out tree - tent. When the prince told him that it was to provide him with information, he froze up.

His brown eyes rose to meet Emilian, the man then stroked his dark beard speculatively and pulled his blood - red robes closer around his body. "And this knowledge you bring?"

The young man bowed his head. "A Viking, my king. Possibly sent from your old friend Gobber of Berk." he carefully looked up to see his superior. "Surprisingly, I have some idea of why he is here." Evan studied him closely for answers. "The Night Fury, m'lord."

With a disbelieving huff, the king rose to his feet. Emilian fell to one knee in obedience.

"So what do you make of the Viking?" He stepped forward and stopped parallel with his future son - in - law. "Is he someone who would help with ridding us of those terrorizing Thunder Angels." his voice took on a disgusted note. "Next to those Thunder Drums…"

"He is with him."

"What?" the man's sharp eyes fell on Emilian.

"I believe the Viking is in league with the dragon, my king."

Evan stared up through the spacious sequoia a moment and an idea dawned on him which caused his whole face to brim with enlightenment. "My boy," his long, thin fingers rested on the young prince's shoulder. "If what you say is true, I have a verdict on his fate now."

Emilian wrinkled his forehead.

"The Viking is young."

"As I suspected when you told me."

"He will do whatever it takes in his naiveté to protect the Night Fury."

"Then we _must _do everything in my power to win over his trust."

A wicked grin flashed across the young man's rich brown face.

"To kill off the last Night Fury and eliminate the Thunder Angels?"

Evan broke out in a loud, booming laugh. "Oh, of course!"

Emilian joined in with his king.

"And to stop the Night Furies from ever birthing again." the older man growled.

His subordinate ceased laughter as his master spoke more deliberately.

"With proper control and precision, we may train this remaining Night Fury to lead us to the Angels." A heaviness settled over the twosome. "And if we are able to kill off them in the process with it, perhaps we can deceive the Viking boy to accompany us. Emilian…?"

"… Sire?"

"Befriend the boy." Evan spoke fast now. "Teach him everything you can to ready him."

"Why?"

"Because," the Gypsy king said in a low voice, "we can use his ties to the dragon."

"And end the Night Fury upon killing the Thunder Angels?"

His master chuckled deviously.

"Something like that. Or perhaps, we can raise it to a higher caliber to remind old Gobber that you _never _walk out on a deal with a gypsy. No, child, we shall need Besnik for that."

**II.**

Hours passed and Hiccup waited with half his face concealed by his wrapped arms as the sun finally hit it's pivotal descending mark by touching the tips of the trees. He looked up with some curiosity from his knees pressed to his chest as sounds came from below and a small glimpse of red on black caught his eyes. _Red? _Hiccup blinked fast. 'The red... is blood!'

"Toothless," he muttered in worry from between his teeth.

"Hiccup," Luca touched his arm as he tried to jump down from the wooden rafter the two were on. The man waited anxiously as she strapped a black hooked cord to the back of a harness she'd had to attach to him so she could pull him up with her; she was an acrobat.

The Viking gave Luca a gentle pat on the arm, reminded of Astrid at this age, and stayed calm while she lowered him down to where a large, hulking form breathed on the ground. Toothless's breathing came out in low, rattling gusts of air compared to the labored ones he had displayed one day and night ago. Hiccup hobbled forward on his knee pole, half - suspended in air like a puppet as Luca helped to anchor his weight from above. He gave a shudder and laid his body against the sleeping, injured dragon, uncaring of how he looked to anyone. Emitting a seething noise, Hiccup started to work out on how to free his friend.

"Oh, bud…" He sadly traced a line inches above a bare flesh wound. "I'm so sorry."

The dragon reacted immediately to his voice - as he always did - and flashed an eye open.

"_Toothless_!" Hiccup cried joyfully, feeling his eyes grow moist. "Bud, are you okay?"

"Find!" Luca giggled from up above.

"Yeah, find." He turned to look her way in gratitude. "Help. Get. Out. now?"

A shuffling sound from outside the ceil put the Night Fury on alert.

"Bud, it's okay," Hiccup stuck his hand out, whispering fast, "We're springing you."

In a completely conscious act, Toothless growled at him.

"Huh?" He stumbled away. "Uh, bud," his hand reached out instinctively. "Why - ?"

The Night Fury released a deep - throated roar this time. Hiccup shook his head in total disbelief as his friend rose to his feet and sent him a merciless glare out of one eye. He shook his pink - scabbed hide, lapped at the biggest slash inflection and turned away so that his back was to Hiccup. The Viking was speechless, utterly in shock at his open fury.

"I - I don't… know how to respond to this, Toothless."

His 'friend' growled again when he sensed Hiccup reach for him a third time.

"Toothless…?"

There was no response.

"Bud, I need you. You know that." a catch in his voice made him stand straighter. "I - ,"

"Whose in there!.?" Someone questioned harshly.

In an instant, Hiccup was being hauled up.

"NO!" He fought against his restraints. "_Toothless_!"

The dragon didn't move an inch in Hiccup's direction as the Viking was reasoned with in Luca's bizarre language. She spoke so fast and he tried so hard to reach his friend who very easily ignored him. This couldn't be, Hiccup's mind was drawing a blank, Toothless couldn't forget him. It wasn't possible, it was _incomprehensible. _Was he still mad at him?

"I'm sorry." Hiccup finally conceded to Luca's protesting pulls but his decision to go and leave Toothless, in all the insanity that it implied, was hardly his own. He couldn't move.

And if he couldn't move, how could he control himself?

**III.**

Luca rode out on Mayla with the Viking visitor riding behind her, his hands absently were clasped around her thin waist as twilight was on the forested horizon, opposite the stumps of hollowed out sequoias that stretched far and wide in the land of Gaunt - A - Van. Just a moment before she was ready to slide off and lead her horse to water, Hiccup had left her.

The girl turned, fear - stricken, as the young man hobbled off determinedly back the way they had just fled from. She tried to call out to him and reason with him again but Hiccup only ignored her as he grasped an unoccupied sequoia branch. "Why should I trust you?"

Her new friend's gruffness made her draw back as she ran his way.

"Trust?"

"You saved my life. So what?" Hiccup's shoulders gave a tremble. "Toothless did that too."

"Found Toothless." She reminded him.

"Whatever!" He threw his arms out in exasperation and stumbled onward. "If you won't help me save him, than _I _will. I - ," he fell to his only knee. "I'm not going to let him die!"

Luca walked over and placed a hand on Hiccup's back as it heaved; he was sobbing quiet, hushed sobs, "Not gonna let'im suffer like this; Odin - 'specially like I did back in Berk." The realization that Toothless was in grave trouble and he was powerless left him distraught.

"Berk?" She repeated in recognition.

The Viking looked up with his stinging eyes at her.

"You know where that is, Luca?"

The gypsy smiled.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	15. The initiate

****

I.

Hiccup held his breath as Luca brought him up to the next tree branch, she was acrobatic and lithe as she took his hand and pulled him up to the middle of the large timber. He felt safe around her and oddly comforted. It was a nice change of pace as Hiccup had not ever experienced this even during his time with Astrid. But, as always, he let duties come first.

"What do you have to show me?"

The brown - faced girl looked wistful for a moment before smiling and gesturing down. A slow sweep of her slender hand revealed that there were five, flat gray stones with unique areas engraved in each one. Hiccup marveled at them all as Luca indicated only their names: "Berk,

Hiccup from," she motioned to moving lines that were designed like water swells; the ocean, "_Gaunt - A - Van_, Lightening canyons, Lightening Torrents, Thunder Isles, Hiccup. Do _not_ find."

He blinked from his mesmerism and looked up at her. "You learn fast, Luca."

She smiled patiently, repeating to him in his language. "No find."

"Toothless," Hiccup moved his hands from side-to-side, "Thunder Angels. _Find _them."

The man knew that this was where the dragon needed to go if he was ever going to be the same again or even, Hiccup shuddered at the thought that he hadn't been for a long time - happy. Luca was about to further protest when out of nowhere two hands seized both of their arms and jerked them from their perch. Before Hiccup could react, he felt a jab of pain.

"Hiccup…" Luca's voice took on a warbled quality.

"Luca?"

He passed out.

**ooo**

Dust cleared from an outdoor arena as early morning hovered on the horizon of the Night Fury's second day in living torture. It moaned painfully and lumbered out into the fresh air it had longed for. Scraps of meat were scattered around as it dragged itself closer to get at them. It's barely closing wounds stung from the dusty thickness around it but it's goal was clear; getting food. If the dragon had to break out and destroy everything to eat it would.

'Food. Eat.' Dirt moved in granules across it's try tongue as it tried to form saliva.

Once close enough, the Night Fury began gobbling the meat greedily and swallowing as if it's life depended on it - which it probably did. It was nearly halfway through when a burn was inflicted to it's side. "Err - _raw!_" the dragon screamed as Besnik pulled back his whip.

"Now that I have your attention," He pulled together his thick black brows. "We can start your training." the man watched, unimpressed, as the Night Fury slinked away from him with exposed teeth. "Resist all you want, beast. You're going to lead us to what we want in the end and that's something's going to be the Thunder Angels." he spoke down to it, sneering.

The dragon blinked it's chartreuse eyes and lowered it's head.

"Now," He pondered. "Where to begin...?"

"Besnik." One of the soldiers approached him. "Emilian needs to speak with you."

"Because?"

"A Viking. He wishes for you to establish communication with him."

The man thought for a moment. "Tell him I'm on my way. Put the beast back in for me."

It growled ferociously at the solider who jumped back in fright.

**II.**

"So you want me to fight your dragons off? It's not like I have a lot of experience in that."

Hiccup sat with a bowl of soup in front of him; gypsies were terrible negotiators but great cooks. Besnik nodded down to the folded padding of weapons that were concealed before the two and would only be rolled open if Hiccup was willing to cooperate. The large, tall man before him looked to be in his mid-to-late thirties and had spent the majority of his life in a death match with dragons. Although they shared similar backgrounds, Hiccup figured it best to keep his philosophies to himself; just a single slip of the tongue and he would be screwed.

And if _he_ was screwed, so was Toothless.

"We get a good horde of them once a year," Besnik said to him, his accent thick as Berk language was his second language, "Oh, but I remember Gobber when he sailed with the pirates for the time he did and we killed them all off when I was but a boy! Good times."

Hiccup blinked. "The pirates?"

"No, the dragons, but Gobber thought about it. The loss of human life got to him…"

"…So," the Viking changed the subject, keeping his expression and tone blank, "I was traveling in search of possibly colonizing new land. Not yours, of course. But we wish to expand Berk. The Night Fury is only to haul airborne cargo and a fuel supply. Beast." he spat off to the side, hoping to look convincing. "So you see, we _really _need to get go-,"

"You are the chief's son?" Besnik mentioned suddenly, his chin rising in scrutiny.

"Yes."

A wide, chilly grin crossed his face. "Gobber once told me of coronation ceremonies."

Hiccup shrugged. "My father and I don't see eye-to-eye. I... ran out on my coronation."

"For such a tall man as Gobber described, I wouldn't doubt it." He chuckled.

The Viking slowly unfurled the padded roll to see a two-handed sword and a dirk dagger.

"Without the dragon I'm not very mobile," Hiccup explained, feeling as if he were disowning his best friend offically. When the young man met Besnik's eyes, they were gleaming intently.

"We can arrange that. If you want to ever return home, you will help us fight by fall's end."

As if on cue, a cool draft shot down into the opened sequoia and nearly snuffed out their fire.

Hiccup breathed heavily. What choice did he have?

Toothless might regain his memory but if the man did nothing with his time they would fail.

To be continued...


	16. Eptiome in an Epilogue

**I. **_Four months later: _Gaunt - A - Van.

The fresh sting of early winter pierced the air as Hiccup waddled his way across the land to the arena where his friend was being held. Since mid-August, the man had gotten into the habit of learning to walk by himself. His nub had gotten sore at first and he had had to go back to using his makeshift crutches, but without Toothless or any of his inventions to help him, Hiccup hadn't much choice. Though as calluses had formed, so had confidence.

"All right, bud." He steadied the sword he had learned to use with Emilian's help to one side, kept the bag of fish Luca had helped supply him with all this time behind his right shoulder in place and made his was surely towards his destination. "We're gonna leave."

A grin flashed across his face. '_You have to remember me now, you have to.'_

**II.**

"It's been too long, Gobber." Stoick said as he flung his final bag upon the other side of Bluebell at the front of the dragon sled. The old blacksmith tried to argue against using the failed invention by Hiccup but to no avail. "Four months, Gobber! Ice is settin' in!"

"You could be _killed _Stoick." The man emphasized.

"If you don't get my dragon killed first!" Astrid suddenly appeared and seized the Deadly Nadder's harness. The blue lizard turned it's head to her and blinked. "At least let me go with you," she said quietly as her head dipped. The former chief touched her thin forearm.

"No, Astrid," Stoick coaxed her to look up, "Someone's got to stay and look after things."

"Can I come!.?" Asterisk appeared out of nowhere along the docks.

"Yeah, Stoick," Gobber ruffled the boy's corn-yellow hair. "Can a young-blood like As-,"

"_You're," _He grabbed the man's shirt front and anchored him up. "Comin' with me."

"Uh, excuse-?"

"Your idea, your problem." Stoick dropped him inside the small winged wooden sled that could attach a slew of six dragons to it; a side project to the one Hiccup had taken without anyone knowing five months earlier. "You all, get back to Berk. Those of you old enough

To come and _not,_" He emphasized to Astrid and the rest of the twenty - somethings who had gone behind everyone's back with Gobber, "get in the way, get your asses on board."

Stoick got to the front and situtated himself like he was at the helm of a stage coach. "We are going to find my son and Toothless and bring them home… wherever they might be."

"They, uh, might be in gypsy territory."

"And that would be _where?_"

"Well," Gobber rushed to say, "By sea it would take three months. By air, eh, ten days."

Stoick turned forward and plopped his wife Astral's helmet on. "Then by air it is."

The reins of the dragon sled were snapped.

**III.**

Hiccup eased his collection of fish for the Night Fury under the thick - beamed stall; He sniffed once, as he usually did, and took it from the man's hand. Toothless was used to him doing this, that much was true, but the old Toothless never had to sniff his hand, he never had to think twice about Hiccup's loyalty to him. This Toothless was another story.

Taking a deep breath, Hiccup walked fairly steadily to the front of the cage and placed his hands on the latch. Green - yellow eyes as large as small boulders opened on his face, the first encounter they had had four months earlier had awaken Hiccup to the fact that for his and Toothless's sake it would be better if they didn't see each other at the front of the gate like what was happening now. It was so the dragon wouldn't grow angered again, but also so that Hiccup wouldn't grow more hurt. He shuddered and unlatched the heavy metal on the latch. With the noise of grinding iron, the long gate opened. 'Just don't eat me bud…'

Hiccup held up a fish and flinched away as the enormous Night Fury lumbered out.

~.~

Fresh air.

It was the first thing the dragon noticed as it and it's food bringer walked outside.

The clean purity of mother nature washed over it's callus-covered scales as it followed the brackish odor filling it's nostrils and lulled at the tangy taste the fish seemed to leave on it's tongue even before it had eaten it. The Night Fury lowered it's head and opened it's eyes to get a better look at it's fish bringer for one-hundred and twenty days when it saw Besnik coming down from other side of the arena, a cold glint in his eyes and a sure side-sneer tugging up at his bearded mouth as he came down and approached the kinder human from before; He seemed to realize it the next moment and whirled around with a short, straight talon his hand. Besnik bared down with his twin blades on the young man.

In a spur of the moment move, the Night Fury made a costly lunge for the gypsy. He saw this and sprung to the side nimbly to avoid a jab to the side by the fish bringer, Besnik got a hold of one of the piercings in the dragon's scales, slid his sword through it and yanked up on it. Pain rippled through his back and Besnik made him lunge forward towards their peg - legged opponent. The dragon made another snap decision and nosed him gently off to the side. He fell, tumbled and rolled away safely on his side. Besnik laughed, forcing it into a stampede of sorts in preparation to ram the wall. The once-winged lizard looked at it's fish bringer a final time as the crazed dragon wrangler goaded him with a loud taunt.

"Too bad, _Hiccup, _I guess you'll never make it to the Thunder Isles now!"

Hiccup? _Hiccup…_

"Toothless!" the fish bringer called out the name he had used their first meeting and not again. "Toothless! _Toothless!_" There was a click; like the hooves of a pack animal, like a light switch flippingon, like two-and-two going together. Or, in this case, one-and-one. It had suffered, no, _Toothless _had suffered heartache and agony through out autumn that he hadn't had time to remember; only to survive. But Hiccup had not forgotten him. Hiccup!

With a deep hiss and a knowledge of what would happen, the Night Fury threw his head around as Besnik thrust up on another iron-molded piercing in his flesh and swallowed him in one large gulp. Hiccup moaned and tried his best to get up but stumbled about as his metal peg became askew. A shaky breath blew through his mouth as Toothless came.

~.~

Sounds of dragons beyond the tall, untouched sequoia trees came as Hiccup held onto the thick, possibly strangulating leather harness that Toothless had been strapped with. When they reached the summit of a small, green plateau, Hiccup tossed off his sword and large fish sack before whipping out his bronze-hilted dirk and working his way into the harness that looked to have dug into Toothless's flesh. The dragon dipped his head around to see.

"I'm sorry, bud." He said in quiet anguish.

One of the straps broke and he started on another. As soon as he was done there, Hiccup hobbled around with fair ease and began work on the next. Toothless turned to look his way again, moaning sadly. But Hiccup only kept working at this display. The big harness removal showed that the marks were red and slightly ingrown but that they could heal. On further inspection, Hiccup saw the grizzly pain his best friend had endured - the dragon's wings had been clipped at the sides, mostly-healed lesions marked different parts of black hide where the harness hadn't been. And, tears rolled down his cheeks at this one, round iron rings had replaced the Night Fury's top scales. They stuck out with yellow crust that fringed around them. Hiccup didn't know but he thought that they were infected. As the man's head dropped his dragon came up and placed his large head against Hiccup's chest.

"You know everything's going to be okay now, right?" He stroked his friend's scaly face.

Toothless rumbled a soft, happy noise.

A melodic noise rang out then. They turned and listened, it seemed to come from afar.

"Ha… ah… _oooo_…" Siren - like calls chimed.

"The Thunder Angels?" Hiccup inquired.

Toothless "rawred" his response.

"Than we'll go." The Viking rubbed his nose. "And let the gypsies fight their own war."

**IIV.**

"What are we going to do, Astrid?" Her cousin kept moaning. "We can't do nothing!"

She walked back up the docks.

"Where are you going!.?"

"Up to Hiccup's tower." Astrid answered Asterisk, her back to him. "I might not be able to go after them, but at least maybe I can get an idea of what they're doing out there. And-and I'll need to tell my mother; Jericho has a right to know who his father is just in case."

"Father? Hiccup?"

"It's over now, Asterisk. Someone else is going to have to take the place of village chief."

The End.

**A/N: **I realize this is abrupt, but my ideas are running a little short at the present time. My plan now is that I leave the story like this and make a companion/continuation. Seeing as HTTYD 2 is coming out in a few years, I'm thinking of taking a year off and starting up in early 2012. This isn't to cheapen anything and I definitely didn't want anyone to be led on anymore when I'm running low of enthusiasm. I do love the movie and I won't keep doing this and cop out on an ending that cheats my readers and/or reviewers. (Yeah I'm talking to you Smeyer. You and your distorted Breaking Dawn! :(

Anyways, wish me well and I wish all of you well. My options were as of recently to either rush to finish this and give a half-ass ending or stop while I'm ahead. On to better news though! The continuation is loosely titled 'Forever Night' but I'm not quite sure yet.

So yes, no hiatus for LOTFA. It's been a good 4-5-month run. Thank you all so much!

~ Lavenderpaw ~

P.S. Please leave all protests and hate mail to the reviews. PM's are getting deleted, you know. ^^ Nah, but anyway, I just didn't want to keep being half-hearted. Happy Holidays! :)


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